


Intertwined

by HeapingScrapheap



Category: Transformers - All Media Types, Transformers Animated (2007)
Genre: Awkward Romance, Blitzwing has a slightly perverted side, Bumblebee is determined to free Blitzwing somehow, First Love, Love is a good motivator for making positive changes in your environment, M/M, Mentions of self-servicing, None of the OCs are romantic interests for canon characters, Sentinel is a jerk, Should I mention that there's some politics going on?, There are also OCs but only where needed, There are characters not from this Transformers universe, There will be concepts from other Transformers universes, Things are gonna get rough soon, This is canon divergent, Trigger warning for Prowl is dead, Trigger warning for mentions of sexual harassment in chapter two, Trigger warning for sexual harassment in chapter one, Trigger warning for suicidal thoughts and self-depreciation in chapter three, just saying, rated explicit for eventual smut, sorry about that
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-25
Updated: 2017-11-09
Packaged: 2019-01-05 11:06:39
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 21,787
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12188802
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HeapingScrapheap/pseuds/HeapingScrapheap
Summary: The war is over. Megatron and his crew have been captured and are now being held in Cybertron's Maximum Security prison.When Bumblebee winds up lost in the prison, he hears a familiar voice in distress. He goes to investigate, but what he finds will change his life from that moment forward.A Decepticon prisoner and Autobot scout form an unlikely acquaintanceship. Feelings grow over time, and eventually, they find themselves falling for each other. When there are potential repercussions for their relationship, one of them worries, but the other reassures them.Bumblebee finds out a way for Blitzwing to get out of prison, but it will take the triple changer making a life-changing decision that he isn't willing to make just yet, with the current state of the Cybertronian government.The Autobot scout is determined to do something about it.(Summary will be added on to as I post more chapters. I don't want to spoil everything.)





	1. Saving Your Enemy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, doing the right thing can instill a sense of duty.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a warning; there is sexual harassment in this chapter. It's brief, and doesn't go very far, but I am aware that it can be a sensitive topic to some, so I felt the need for a heads up.
> 
> This is my first Transformers fanfiction. ;v; It isn't as polished as a lot of the other fantastic writers' works in the fandom, but it's my attempt to add to the library of works for my OTP. 
> 
> I've been working on the storyline for this fic for a month now, and just got the guideline done a few days ago. ovo 
> 
> If one person finds enjoyment in my writing, that's more than I could ever ask or hope for. uwu
> 
> Please excuse the long chapter. I will post the next chapter when it is done! If you notice any errors, please let me know. I'm the only pair of eyes I had on this. XD Also, if you have any recommendations on how to improve my writing of the characters, please feel free to share! OuO I strive for as close to canon characterizations as possible, so any potential improvement I can make is appreciated. 
> 
> Thank you for reading my rambling, and please enjoy~.

He was lost.

Cybertron Max was horrendously large for a prison as it was, especially to a bot as small as Bumblebee. There seemed to be nobody around in the few halls he wandered down alone. He had to suppose the guards were doing a head count right about now.

His pride forebode the miniature yellow Autobot from calling one of his old team members up and letting them know he had gotten left behind. Mostly because currently, Sentinel was with them, and Primus knows the jerk would never let him live this down. Maybe if Prowl was still around, he could have sneaked off to redirect Bee back to their entourage...

The yellow bot sighed deeply, his shoulders slumping as he aimlessly meandered down a rather barren silver hall.

Prowl.

Not wanting to deal with the deep ache in his spark at the remembrance of his departed friend right now, Bumblebee willed himself to think about his current situation, and how it came about.

Sentinel Prime had attempted to interrogate Megatron on his own. He used every method within protocol to get him to talk about the locations of the many Decepticon troops scattered throughout the universe. But despite his efforts, the Decepticon leader wouldn't so much as acknowledge his presence, let alone divulge the information the large-chinned Autobot wanted. So, of course, Sentinel (very reluctantly) asked Optimus Prime and his old team for assistance, with the single thought that Optimus and his crew knew Megatron a little better than he did, due to their battles together on Earth. Optimus was obviously the best choice to interrogate Megatron, though, having fought him personally, and interacted the most with him. So why Bulkhead, Ratchet, and Bumblebee were required was beyond Bee. When he had asked Sentinel, the reason he got was: "Because I'm acting Magnus, and _I SAID SO_."

Thinking about the cobalt bot's stupidity and arrogance only served to irritate him, so Bumblebee looked around the completely nondescript hallway for something else to think about. _ANYTHING_ else. He was pretty much the only interesting thing in the hall, though, currently. He looked down absentmindedly at the Elite Guard symbol on his chest as he continued his wandering.

He had finally achieved his dream. But... Being in the Elite Guard wasn't all it was cracked up to be. He was a scout, so he wasn't in Sentinel's group, at least. He thought it would be more thrilling. It was uneventful thus far, and Bumblebee found himself, more often than not, stuck doing tedious, pointless tasks. This was because the Decepticons had grown quiet since Megatron's capture, so there was no reported Decepticon activity for the scouts to investigate. He was the newest member of his team, so he was often delegated to fetch things for his superiors, or to run errands for them that they didn't feel like doing themselves. It was pretty unfulfilling.

Bumblebee had already grown quite bored of his job, and constantly thought about how much he missed how great things were on Earth. Hanging out with Sari, and his old team. Playing video games. Watching TV... He would even say he missed fighting Decepticons. The only problems he had in his life now, he couldn't punch or throw petty insults at.

Well.

He could do the latter, and in fact, often did. He just couldn't resist shooting his mouth off. He knew it usually brought him trouble, but he found he often didn't care about the repercussions, as long as he got to say his piece.

Bumblebee's thoughts were interrupted by muffled shouting coming from a closed door to his left.

"--PLEASE, VILL YOU JUST LEAVE ME ALONE?!!!"

The voice pleaded in distress, and it was followed by two other voices laughing. The upset voice was uncomfortably familiar... Partly wanting to find out who it was, and partly having a sinking suspicion of who it was, Bumblebee drew near the door. The small Autobot pulled his access badge out of his subspace and swiped it across the scanner. The scanner beeped in confirmation, and the metal door clicked, opening with a pressurized hiss.

Being in the Elite Guard did have its perks, after all.

He returned his badge to his subspace, stepping through and hesitating, taking in his new surroundings. The door snapped shut with a heavy clank behind him, causing him to jump and face the source of the noise. Good thing he hadn't been standing between the panels when they closed. Someone could get seriously injured from those things! Shaking his head disapprovingly, he turned back to the new hall he was in, realizing it was a cell block.

The corridor was lined with cells. Venturing further in, Bumblebee realized none of the cells actually seemed occupied. Passing each one, he noted that they all seemed in good condition. They were, however, as barren as the rest of the prison seemed to be. They were decently roomy, especially to Bumblebee, and they housed a single recharge slab per cell. Being unoccupied, the cells were all open. All except one, at the furthest end of the hall, to the right. Its doorway was alight with a blue forcefield. As soon as he noticed it, someone from inside started speaking.

"Come on, just show us~."

Snickering ensued, and a voice with what an Earthling might consider a heavy German accent replied angrily.

" **LIKE PIT I'D EVER DO SOMEZING LIKE ZAT FOR FILTZY AUTOBOT SCUM LIKE ZE TWO OF YOU!!** "

Processor ringing from the echoing shout, Bumblebee flinched, covering his audials.

 _Yep_. It was definitely Blitzbrain.

Laughter rang from the cell in response. The small bot had half a processor to turn around and leave Blitzwing there to deal with the ridicule. After all, he was a criminal... He shrugged to himself, turning on the spot to head back to the door, but froze in his tracks when he heard something that sent a chill up his back struts.

"Alright, since he doesn't wanna open his panels for us, let's open them up for him. Use your stasis cuffs," one of the unknown bots ordered.

"Okay~," the other unknown voice sang out a little too eagerly.

"V-Vat? No! You can't just-- I have rights, as a prisoner...! You keep away from me vis zose cuffs...!"

Bumblebee's head spun around so fast, his body struggled to catch up with it. Facing the cell as sounds of a struggle began, the scout's conscience spoke out to him. No bot, regardless of who they are or what they've done, should have to endure the sort of treatment that Blitzwing was currently planned to be on the receiving end of. He furrowed his optic ridges, servos clenching into fists as he steeled himself. He couldn't allow this to go any further.

One long, determined stride after another, the small canary-coloured bot stormed over to the cell. As the inner part of the cell came into view, Bee vented in air and held it, trying to make himself look bigger as he would no doubt be much shorter than whoever was harassing Blitzwing. Inside the cell, two rather nondescript looking Autobot guards were seemingly winning the fight against the struggling triple changer. They had their captive pinned to his recharge slab. Each had a hold of one of Blitzwing's servos, and were attempting to get them into stasis cuffs. The Decepticon was currently his Random persona, and was snarling threateningly at the two bots attempting to subdue him. Bumblebee used all the commotion from the cell to use his badge and slip in past the barrier unnoticed.

"Hey, what's going on here?" Bumblebee demanded with an authoritative tone in his vocal emitter. He was standing as tall as possible, chest still puffed up and his servos on his hips.

Everyone in the cell froze, and all optics were on him. Looking like Earth deer caught in headlights, the guards immediately let go of Random's servos, jumping off of him. Behind them, the triple changer sat up, switching to his Icy persona and staring at Bumblebee with a bewildered look in his optic. Bumblebee smiled to himself at how frightened the two other Autobots looked by seeing him, but his sense of victory, as well as his smirk, faded when they both busted out with laughter.

"HAH!! I thought you were someone important," one of them guffawed, and they each doubled over with laughter.

"Yeah, yeah!! Look at this little fragger!!! He's two inches tall," the other snorted, slapping his buddy on the back with a loud clang.

Bumblebee seethed, grinding his denta together in annoyance at how his height was always the first thing other bots noticed about him. Taking in every flaw that he could of the others so he could whip out a petty insult in reply, he noted conveniently that neither of what originally appeared to be "guards" had any stripes next to their Autobot insignias. This begged the question, what were they doing guarding anyone in this prison? Let alone a prisoner with as high a profile as Blitzwing?

One of them looked back up to Bumblebee, and mid-laugh, went rigid, his face contorted in a near-comical look horror. His posture went from a 90 degree angle to a 180 degree angle in the blink of an optic. His partner kept right on laughing next to him, until the now very serious bot elbowed him roughly. Still snickering, he looked up at his buddy's concerned face, and followed his gaze to the Elite Guard insignia on Bee's chest. He, too, instantaneously stood up straight, and their arms flew up simultaneously in a salute.

"Sorry, sir!" They shouted in unison, eyeing Bumblebee nervously.

Bumblebee couldn't help the satisfied smirk that crawled across his faceplate. Frag being angry at the insult he received moments ago.

Again, being in the Elite Guard had done something useful for him today.

"Yeah, I bet you are. Mocking a superior officer is a punishable offense, ya know?" Bee warned, looking down at his own fingers as if inspecting them.

They both stood somehow impossibly straighter, their limbs shaking slightly. Icy observed the affair from the berth, but when Bumblebee's sky blue optics met his, he looked away with a feigned lack of interest. The scout rolled his optics and turned his attention back to the Autobots. He took a few small steps closer to the two bots.

"I could have you both _arrested_ for assaulting a prisoner, too~," the short bot hummed, looking each one of the scared bots in the optics. They appeared to be doing everything in their power to avoid looking at him. He continued, his denta bared in a slag-eating grin. "Especially because neither of you actually have the clearance to be in here. You know what they say about us _small_ _build_ bots; we do have rather _short_ _tempers_ ~."

At this point, they both erupted into apologies and explanations.

"We're sorry sir--."

"--No idea you were a superior officer--"

"--Just wanted to get even with a war criminal for all the crimes--,"

"--He's a bad guy after all--,"

"--A buddy gave us access badges--,"

"--Already kinda looked like guard bots--,"

"--Don't really want to go to jail--,"

Bumblebee held up a servo, and they once again froze, afterwards standing at attention.

"I'll let you guys go with a warning, though, _IF_ you promise to stop harassing prisoners, and you never show your ugly faceplates in this cell block again."

"Oh, yeah! Of course--,"

"Definitely!! We promise--"

The scout sighed as they yammered on, shaking his head, smirk still present.

"Alright, alright. Get out of here," Bee pointed to the door, forcing his face to don a serious expression. "And take your cuffs with you."

The two culprits didn't have time to look relieved, because they were practically tripping over themselves and each other. They scrambled to grab their stasis cuffs and dash out of the cell's forcefield. Bee poked his head out of the cell and watched them haul aft to the corridor's entrance. When they finally disappeared behind the steel cell block doors, Bumblebee stood up victoriously, dusting his hands in a manner he had seen Sari do on several occasions, usually after she finished a particularly tough task. He would _certainly_ be talking to the head of security later about what had happened today.

"It isn't a good idea to turn your back on an enemy," a level tone murmured dangerously close to one of his audials.

The yellow bot jumped slightly at the sudden warning, and he became very aware of just how close the Decepticon was to him. The stillness in the air indicated the much larger bot was directly behind him, and from the feeling of the gentle, cool exvents washing over his frame, the mostly beige bot was kneeling. Reluctantly, Bumblebee brought his head back through the forcefield.

"Oh, slag," he muttered to himself, optics large and frame tense as he slowly turned to face the giant behind him. He looked up at the currently very ominous-looking bot, mentally preparing himself for a fight. He felt seriously unprotected without his stingers. Fraggit. Why was it protocol for every bot who entered the prison to disable their weapons???

"But I guess, after vat you did, I don't really feel like calling myself your enemy right now," the triple changer finally added, moving back slightly to give Bumblebee more room.

Bee, who was currently posed for battle, gave Blitzwing a questioning look. His stance relaxed a bit, and he eventually stood normally, though there was still something weary in his posture. The Autobot was a little surprised to see Icy's usually neutral expression replaced by the slightest of smiles.

"You... Have my gratitude," Blitzwing thanked him with slight hesitation, before his face switched with a transformation noise and a click.

" _Ja, ja! Dankeschoen, little bug~! Ahahaha~!!_ " Random cackled appreciatively, his giant servos darting forward to grab Bumblebee without any sort of warning.

Before he could so much as protest, or even process what was happening, the small bot was being lifted into the air. He was almost immediately crushed against a much larger chest in a tight embrace. Bumblebee struggled, the immense pressure on his petite frame at the precipice of being enough to dent his plating. He pushed his servos against Blitzwing's glossy cockpit in an attempt to push away.

"YOU'RE _CRUSHING_ ME, BLITZBRAIN!!!" Bumblebee rebelled, still trying to shove himself away from the tall bot. When he had just gotten leverage to push himself slightly away from the chest of the now giggling bot, his small servos slipped on the glass, and his face met the place his servos had been mere moments ago. He made a muffled cry of surprise against the dark surface, and Random stopped giggling, looking down at the little yellow bot. When the massive arms cradling him loosened, Bumblebee looked up with a scowl at the Decepticon, only to see that Blitzwing was once again his Icy persona.

Icy sat Bumblebee down carefully. He then proceeded to stand up, head back over to his recharge slab, and sit down. He looked over at the now angry little bot, who was standing there with his arms folded across his chassis.

" _First of all_ , don't just grab me like that, all of a sudden! ESPECIALLY not to _hug_ me!!" The yellow bot fumed, light steam escaping a few of his vents.

" _Second of all_ ," he continued, "I didn't save your skidplate because I wanted to be your friend or something, Decepticon! I saved you because it was the right thing to do, especially because they were trying to mess with... And... You didn't want them to... And... Well... You know!" He huffed, cheeks turning red slightly in embarrassment.

Icy rolled his only optic, looking away and folding his arms as well.

"Vell, vatever. You saved me, I appreciate it. Feel free to go on vis your life, now," Blitzwing waved a servo dismissively, which only served to annoy the impulsive little bot further.

Bumblebee stamped a stabilizing servo in response, more steam hissing out of his vents.

"Don't just WAVE ME OFF, like you can't wait to get rid of me!!" He snapped, pointing up at the triple changer with an accusing finger.

This must have annoyed Blitzwing, because in an instant, Icy's cold visage became Hothead's offended frown. Denta flashing in an angry snarl, the prisoner did his own shouting.

" **DON'T YOU STAND ZERE, ACTING LIKE I OWE YOU SOMEZING, ZEN!! AND DON'T YOU EVEN DARE ACT LIKE YOU DIDN'T CHOOSE TO STILL STAND ZERE AFTER HELPING ME GET RID OF THOSE SLAGGING AFTPORTS!! BECAUSE YOU COULD HAVE JUST LEFT VITHOUT A VORD!!!** "

Bumblebee ground his denta together again angrily.

"I AM _NOT_ ACTING LIKE YOU OWE ME SOMETHING!!! I JUST--"

He trailed off, visibly looking slightly more calm, though his arms once more crossed his chest. When Blitzwing was right, he was right. Bee could have walked away after helping out. But he chose to stick around. He exvented slowly and loudly, looking to the side in thought. After a bit of spark-searching, Bee realized he stayed because after having helped the Decepticon out of a situation like that, he felt a sense of duty to him, and a need to protect him futher.

"--I just feel like I need to--"

"You need to vat?" Blitzwing cut in, and Bumblebee looked back to him. Without Bee's notice, the larger bot had switched back to his Icy personality, and he was now looking at the canary-yellow bot with a narrowed optic.

"Pity me?" He tacked on, leaning back against the wall of his cell. Icy kept guessing, looking up at the ceiling as he did. "Befriend me? Laugh at me? Punish me yourself, maybe?"

"No!" The other exclaimed with a hint of annoyance in his voice. "None of that..." Bumblebee mumbled, shaking his head in frustration.

Icy regarded him once more, the left corner of his mouth pulling into a subtle frown.

"Vat zen?" The beige bot inquired, arms shifting slightly to tighten their fold across his large chest.

The scout scuffed at the floor slightly with a stabilizing servo.

"Does it really matter?? Look, just," Bumblebee took a few steps further in to the cell, having been mostly frozen to one spot until now. His optic ridges were furrowed slightly, and he unfurled his arms, returning them to his sides in a more relaxed pose. "Just let me sit in here for a bit with you, okay?"

The triple changer slowly unfolded his arms and nodded his head slightly to the empty space next to him on the berth, unmoving from his spot as Bee wandered over and sat next to him. Neither of them really made eye contact or spoke for a good while. The air had a slightly thick feel, and the silence grew louder by the nanocycle, eventually causing a ringing in Bumblebee's audials. The only other sound, aside from the ringing, was the gentle vents of the larger bot next to him. Feeling like he should break the silence that started growing more and more tense, the Autobot cleared his intake, slowly looking over to the Decepticon.

"So, any idea why you're the only one in your cell block?" He asked, partly out of genuine curiosity, partly out of a need to talk about _something_.

Icy turned his head to look down at the smaller bot, still leaning back against the wall.

"I really have no idea. I have been vondering zis myself, since zey put me in here." He looked towards the empty cell across from his, then back to his companion, continuing. "I have been listening for _any_ kind of sound, but I never hear a sing. Vell.... Other zan ze guards, ven zey do zeir rounds. Most of ze days, it's too quiet in here. Even vith my other personalities," He concluded, his optic seemingly searching for something on Bumblebee's faceplate as he looked at him.

Bumblebee felt a twinge of pity for the Decepticon. To go so long without much contact with other beings was probably absolute torture, especially when you were literally stuck with "me, myself and I" as your only form of company. He found himself wondering, in general, what having three personalities was like. Before he could take the time to consider that Blitzwing's personalities might be because of something as sensitive a topic as a malfunction of some sort, he blurted out his next question.

"What is the deal with the three of you, anyways?"

Taken aback by Bumblebee's blatant question, Blitzwing sat up straight, looking down at him with a slight expression of surprise. He had been asked this question before, many times. But he never really saw fit to answer the question. Partially because it was a very personal topic to him, and partially because he could tell they asked only because they had negative motives. His first instinct was not to reply. Bumblebee seemed like the type who would run around and gossip with everyone about what he found out about the "freak Decepticon with three personalities". But at the same time, there was something honest in his question. Like he was asking because he had a genuine desire to understand, and because he had an innocent sense of curiosity on the topic. Icy couldn't help the small smile that tugged at his lips.

"I vill tell you, _if_ you tell me your _deepest_ , _darkest_ secret, Autobot," he offered, and Bumblebee shrunk away slightly from him, tapping his fingers together and blushing slightly.

"Uh... Well... I--"

_"Bumblebee, where are you?"_

Optimus' sudden voice on his internal com link caused Bumblebee to jump with a startled yelp. He clutched his chest with both servos.

"Jeez, Prime! Ya nearly gave me a spark-attack!!"

Blitzwing covered his own mouth with a servo, stifling a chuckle. Bumblebee snapped his gaze to the Decepticon, glaring daggers up at him threateningly.

_"Sorry. Anyways, what happened to you? You just sort of... Vanished. Sentinel is... Er. Quite adamant about you being here."_

Bumblebee facepalmed. _Slag_. Because of the situation with Blitzwing, he had completely forgotten why he was even at Cybertron Max to begin with.

"I got lost looking for... The little... Bots... Room...?" The yellow bot offered flimsily, grimacing at how bad he sounded. He tried to remember why he got separated to begin with, but he had a million other things on his processor currently.

Optimus didn't reply for a while, undoubtedly shaking his head at the bad lie, and coming up with a better excuse to give Sentinel. Eventually, though, Bee's com link once again sounded with his former leader's voice.

_"Listen. Head to the 25th floor lobby. Just find an elevator, and it'll take you right there. It's a big, open space. You can't miss it. That's where we'll wait for you."_

Bee nodded, as if Optimus could see him.

"Alright. I'll be there ASAP," he verbally responded, shutting off his internal com.

Blitzwing, now sitting leaning forward with his arms across his lap, was eyeing the smaller bot as he hopped down from the recharge slab.

Bumblebee's servos met behind his back as he shuffled backwards towards the doorway slightly. He didn't really want to go, but... If he didn't, Sentinel would probably make his life the Pit. He offered a sheepish smile to the triple changer, feeling a little guilty for having to leave him.

"I gotta go; duty calls. "

Icy turned his head away, not particularly wanting the only bot who had bothered to talk to him since he was locked up to leave... But he also didn't particularly want Bee to know that he didn't want him to leave.

"I certainly von't stop you, ," he said coldly, putting on an indifferent front again.

Sadly, this was painfully obvious to Bumblebee, and it only made him feel all the more guilty for going. He found himself unable to handle looking directly at the Decepticon, so he turned away from him, taking slow steps towards the cell's forcefield. He lingered, looking down at his stabilizing servos and thinking. As he did, Icy had glanced back in his direction, and was curiously watching the Autobot. Bee turned his head slightly to look at the larger bot from the corners of his optics.

"I'll come back and visit you tomorrow, if that's okay?" The scout asked with uncertainty, not wanting to assume the other male wanted to spend time with him.

Icy's crimson optic stared him down unblinkingly, though there was an unidentifiable emotion in it. It made Bee feel uneasy.

"I'll not be doing anysing else, Autobot," he replied, waving his servos in a manner to indicate the cell he was occupying.

Bumblebee smiled sadly, turning his head back towards the exit of the cell. He left without saying anything further, slipping out the forcefield and heading back down the hall. His tanks felt as if there were Earth butterflies loose in them. Between the anxiety and the guilt, he _swore to himself_ he would come back the next day, if only to check on Blitzwing, and to make sure nobody else had bothered him.

Blitzwing heard the metal door to the cell block slam closed. He guaranteed himself at that moment that Bumblebee would not be visiting again... And he _swore to himself_ that he wouldn't let it get to him.


	2. Getting to Know Thy Enemy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two bots get a little more acquainted with the help of some secret sharing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning for mentions of sexual harassment in this chapter. Just a head's up!
> 
> First and foremost, I am so SO grateful for the support I have received so far. Thank you to everyone who read, or commented, or dropped a kudos! QwQ I didn't think anyone would read my fic, tbh, but I'm so happy others could find even remote enjoyment from my work!
> 
> I want to go ahead and confirm there is exactly one (1) OC contained in this chapter, and I am going to admit to breaking canon. There will be a lot of that in this tale, just saying ;v;

There was nothing to do.

Just like every other solar cycle since being locked up, there was nothing in his cell to keep Icy occupied. When Random was the dominant persona, there wasn't a moment where Blitzwing was bored. His unpredictable nature kept him fascinated with the simplest of things, such as seams in the metallic plating of the cell walls, or a floating speck of dust. That sort of thing wasn't so bad. Hothead would only gain control when Blitzwing was feeling particularly annoyed about something, and he would shout his frustrations out to the empty cell block. But when Icy was left to take over, when the other two personalities were dormant, unchallenged and uninterested by their surroundings, every nanoklik felt like a stellar cycle.

The triple changer sighed, staring up at the ceiling from his laying position on the recharge slab. His servos rested on his midsection, fingers interlocked.

It wasn't much later than what he figured Earthlings would observe as being morning, considering he had been brought his first fuel of the day not long ago. His schedule was really the only thing that gave him any indication of the time, due to there being no windows in his cell. Even if there had been some sort of window, looking out at Kaon wasn't _exactly_ Blitzwing's idea of a good time. It was a prison city, so the only thing to see would most likely be guards. Then again...

Anything would be an improvement to staring at the walls all day.

His other personalities currently silent, the main thing he had on his processor currently was the events of the prior day. He spent most of the later hours of yesterday and his online moments of the day so far replaying everything that happened. He obsessed over every little detail, and every possibility. He found himself, more often than not, worrying about what would have happened if Bumblebee hadn't shown up when he did. There was no telling what would have been done to him... He had to constantly remind himself that even though the probability of what could have happened was there, the fact it hadn't happened was something that should bring him comfort.

But it really _didn't_.

Aside from that, the only other thing on his processor had been the small Autobot who had come to his rescue. He had always been a bold little bot. This was something Blitzwing could attest to, from his showdowns with Bumblebee. Why he chose to step in and help Blitzwing out was something that eluded the Decepticon. He speculated after it happened, that it was for some ulterior purpose. But after the yellow bot decided to just sit with him yesterday, any suspicion he had melted away. When the bot offered to visit him today, though, Blitzwing had doubted that he would even show up. After all, not hoping that he would come by would mean he wasn't disappointed at the end of the day, when Bee indeed didn't visit. If he did come see him, how would something like that really work out, anyways?

The silence in his head was shattered by Random's cackling.

_'Ooh, I know~! Ve could talk about ze latest fashion trends, and svap gossip~! Ehahaha~!'_

Hothead cut in, irritated by Random's lack of thought.

_**'ZIS IS VHY HE ISN'T GOING TO COME BACK TO SEE US!! I VOULDN'T VANT TO BE AROUND SOME MALFUNCTION LIKE YOU, MYSELF!!!'** _

Random's gleeful laughter evaporated into a hiss, and he threatened the quick-tempered persona with an eerily chipper tone.

' _Ze only one going to be considered a malfunction here vill be you, vhen I am finished vis you, hee hee hee~!'_

He broke out into laughter, and the sound rang throughout Blitzwing's processor.

Icy frowned, bringing a servo up to his helm.

"Bos of you stop ze arguing, vill you? Ve have ozer sings to sink about zan ze tiny Autobot who isn't going to show up."

" _TINY_ Autobot???"

The sudden annoyed voice coming from outside of his head gave Blitzwing a start, and he bolted up off the slab, sitting up straight. Wide-optic-ed and slack-jawed, he stared with disbelief at the miniature bot outside of his cell. His spark pulse quickened at the unexpected sight.

He really _did_ show up.

Bumblebee glared from outside the forcefield, his arms crossed over his chest and his lips pursed. He tapped a stabilizing servo with irritation, raising an optic ridge. It was a little funny to look at, honestly. He really was too short for Blitzwing to find him intimidating. If he wasn't so busy being surprised that the scout was there, Icy might have smiled.

"I _really_ hope you don't mean _me_ , Blitzbrain," the minibot snapped, unfolding one arm to jab a thumb towards himself indicatively.

Icy closed his mouth, lowering his legs off the side of his berth and placing his hands on his knees. He sat facing the wall. Instead of regarding Bumblebee further, he narrowed his optic and put on his best indifferent act. The truth was that he was glad to see the yellow bot, but he really didn't feel obliged to let him know that. He wasn't completely comfortable showing weakness like that to _ANYONE_ , regardless of what Bee did for him.

"So, you showed up after all, Autobot," he stated coolly, tracing one of the many lines in the cell wall's plating with his optic.

Out of the corner of his optic, he saw Bumblebee scan his badge and stomp in, waving his servos beside his head in exasperation.

"Yeah, nice to see you too, Decepticon," he retorted pointedly, not waiting for permission to storm over and attempt to situate himself next to the larger bot on the berth.

Icy hadn't noticed yesterday when Bumblebee sat down, that he had to do a bit of climbing first. It was especially noticeable today, most likely because in his flustered state, that the smaller bot fumbled a bit as he struggled to get up. The cell they were in was specifically made for larger bots such as Blitzwing to be detained, so the recharge slab was significantly further from the ground than other cells. Apparently, just far enough that for minis such as Bee, it provided a slight challenge to get up on.

Icy cut his optic at the somewhat pathetic sight. If he had been a different Decepticon, he would have taken the opportunity to use the situation to escape. But, he felt he owed the Autobot for his deed, and left it be. Aside from that, if he did get out, he most likely wouldn't get far. Kaon was crawling with Autobot guards, some of them high ranking officers.

Becoming agitated with the grunting scout flailing his legs and clawing at the berth, the beige bot reached over with the intent to rectify Bumblebee. As he was about to pick the little bot up and sit him down, Bee got his footing on a support beam, and managed to crawl the rest of the way up. Blitzwing quickly returned his servo to its prior position on his knee.

Panting and cursing under his breath, Bumblebee looked over at Icy, probably to make sure the Decepticon hadn't seen the embarrassing display. The larger bot made sure to appear as if he hadn't noticed, though he was sure he was going to remember the sight for quite some time. When he regained his composure, the canary-coloured bot swung his stabilizing servos up on to the berth, sitting cross-legged and facing Blitzwing.

"I got done with my duties early today," Bumblebee announced, speaking as if they had always had casual conversations together.

"Tailgate let me take the rest of the solar cycle off, and I didn't really have plans, so... I decided to come see you." he continued, grinning up at the Decepticon.

Blitzwing scoffed.

"Vell, how fortunate for me," he muttered sarcastically, deadpanning down at the scout. He was the best at keeping up a cold front.

Bumblebee's initial response was an anger that seemed to raise his plating slightly in a wave that went from his stabilizers up to the top of his helm, with little pockets of steam puffing forth from a few vents. He looked as is he was on the verge of exploding, and he opened his mouth, undoubtedly to give some smart-aft reply. But for some reason, he stopped himself, quickly closing his mouth. He looked to the side, appearing as if he was thinking, as his plating lowered to its closed position. He looked back up at the taller bot, pointing at him.

"I'm _not_ a protoform, you know. It doesn't take much to see that, as much as you want to _pretend_ like you don't care, that you're glad for some kind of company," he stated confidently, optics half-shuttered. "So cut the act."

Blitzwing looked down at the small bot with disbelief, both impressed with his perception, and uncomfortable that his act was so transparent to this Autobot who didn't even know him that well. He wasn't about to admit the other was right, so Icy closed his optic, adopting his act again.

"I don't know vat you are talking about, B--"

"You can't bullshit a bullshitter," Bumblebee cut in, using Earthling swear words as an apparent cheap tactic for shock factor.

Admittedly, it worked.

Taken aback by the foreign cursing, Icy crooked his neck back slightly, a look of surprise in his optic.

"I--I beg your pardon?"

Bumblebee smirked and closed his optics, shaking his head slowly and raising his servos in a shrug.

"What it means is, you can't trick someone who tricks others. I know a cold front when I see one, Icy, because _I use one too_."

A glimmer of understanding glinted in the triple changer's optic, and he looked down at his lap.

"Oh," the large bot muttered softly, sitting rigidly and rubbing at the plating on his knees with his fingers.

"It's easier than the people around you treating you like slag because of something you think or feel; I get it."

It was unusual, having someone aside from one of his other personas understand him. Or at least, understand something he was doing, without him having to explain it. If he hadn't already been uncomfortable before, Blitzwing was _definitely_ uncomfortable now. He felt a little naked without his metaphorical mask to hide behind, so he turned his head away from the yellow bot. Anything to escape how exposed he felt at that moment.

Bumblebee must have picked up the uneasiness in his body language, because he reached over and placed a servo comfortingly on the Decepticon's thigh. This made the larger bot's spark skip a beat. It sent a warm tingle throughout his frame, and he turned his gaze to the small servo. His glance shifted up to the scout's face, and he locked optics with him. Neither of them spoke for a good while, but Bee offered him a small smile.

Somehow, just somehow, this served to comfort the uneasy bot. When his posture relaxed, Bumblebee removed his servo from Blitzwing's leg.

"So, yesterday, you told me if I tell you my deepest, darkest secret, that you'll tell me about you and your three... You's, right?" Bumblebee asked with uncertainty, holding up three fingers and wiggling them.

For some reason, the visual of Bee holding up his fingers and making them dance like that triggered Random's appearance, who cackled gleefully.

" _OOH~! Are ve going to tell each other using hand puppets~?_ " He asked excitedly, holding up two fingers on each servo and making them hop around like Earth bunnies.

Bumblebee gave him a funny look. Random giggled and decided, upon looking at his own servos, as cute and small as the Autobot was, he would look cuter with bunny ears! His tongue peeked out between his sharp lips as he slipped a servo behind the scout's head, positioning his fingers so it appeared as if Bumblebee had rabbit ears.

" _Look at ze cute Autobot bunny~! Hee hee~!_ " He mused joyfully, admiring the view.

Bumblebee must not have found the situation as appealing as the quirky personality did, because he gently pushed Random's servo away with a stern face.

"I am not cute, Random. I am a serious-looking Autobot Elite Guard Scout, and I do not do bunny ears, okay?" He said with a level-tone, looking directly into the triple changer's crimson optics.

The capricious persona seemed unfazed, but something else caught his attention, and he leaned down, bringing his large face close to one of Bumblebee's shoulder wheels. It was so round... He couldn't really resist the urge to spin it with his finger, so he did just that.

" _Look at it go~!_ " Random announced with delight, watching the round appendage spin.

This was the most fun he'd had in a _while_! He cracked up, continuously prompting the tire with his finger to rotate more whenever it began to slow. He could do this for stellar cycles! When he looked up to see if his new Autobot friend was having as much fun as him, he noticed Bumblebee giving him the look that most people did when he did something they didn't like. This caused the triple changer to stop, looking up at the yellow bot with his maw agape. He didn't want to make his new friend angry... They had just become friends. They hadn't even had the chance to make friendship bracelets for each other yet! He couldn't lose a friend before they made friendship bracelets!

Random's lapse in enjoyment gave Icy the chance to regain control. When Blitzwing's faceplate changed back into Icy's neutral expression, he sat back up and cleared his intake.

"Sorry about zat... Zere really is no telling vat vill bring him out, vat he vill do, or how long he vill stay," he apologized quickly, feeling embarrassed about his other persona's actions. "Ve _all_ have our flaws, zough," he defended himself, trying to play off his shame with a spot of indifference.

"Hey, I didn't say anything," Bumblebee shrugged, looking as if it hadn't really bothered him at all.

Icy found himself wondering if it actually hadn't bothered him, or if he was pretending it didn't so that the Decepticon wouldn't feel bad. Not wanting to trigger one of Hothead's outbursts, he willed his mounting annoyance at the other's pretense away, instead focusing on the topic that had been brought up before they were interrupted by Random's shenanigans.

"Yes, vell. As you asked earlier, I vill still tell you, if you feel up to telling me about your secret first," he offered, crossing one leg over the other and folding his servos over the leg on top.

Bumblebee stared blankly up at Blitzwing for a moment, before a hint of recollection dawned  
over him, his faceplate lighting up in a grin.

"Yeah, okay!!" He replied in earnest, shifting from his cross-legged position to sitting on his knees, his legs tucked beneath him.

When the minibot sat his servos on his own thighs and returned his gaze to the taller mech, Blitzwing's faceplate warmed, his cheeks flushing. He had to admit, something about looking down at the Autobot sitting at such an angle was visually appealing... But of course, he wouldn't be saying that out loud. Instead, he gave Bumblebee an interested look, waiting for him to speak.

Bumblebee seemed overly-confident for a bot who was about to spill something so personal to someone who was an enemy. So when he milled out a clearly made-up and impersonal secret, Icy gave him a knowing look.

"Vat vas zat you said earlier? You can't bullshit a bullshitter?" He tapped his fingers impatiently on his leg, face settling into a scrutinizing stare.

This caused the smaller bot's cheeks to grow red, and a sheepish grin crossed his visage.

"Oh, alright; ya got me, Blitzbrain," he confessed, rubbing the back of his own helm with a servo. Something in his posture indicated that he was having an intense internal debate, because he shifted a lot. If he was acting like that, Icy wagered that he was considering actually telling him something personal. After a while of simply fidgeting, Bumblebee seemed to finally make up his mind, and with a nervous look in his optics, he opened his mouth to speak again.

"Alright..." He started, swallowing and looking down at his servos. He tapped his fingers together anxiously, and seemed to keep his optics cast downwards as he continued.

"My biggest secret is... I..." He trailed off, seemingly unable to get the words out of his vocal emitter.

"I..." He started again, tapping his fingers a little quicker, and once more dropping off.

When the minibot's faceplate reddened significantly, Blitzwing quirked an optic ridge, wondering what could be so big a secret that he was worried a Decepticon would judge him for it. At this point, Bumblebee seemed to brace himself, his next few words coming out amalgamated.

"MybiggestsecretisthatI'veneverbeenwithanybotbefore!"

The small Autobot hid his faceplate behind his servos, and Icy blinked down at him with slight disbelief. He looked the other mech over, taking in the details of his appearance. Blitzwing was nowhere near the authority on what Autobots considered to be attractive, because they probably held different ideals. But from the beige bot could tell, Bee had several physical qualities that he knew most other Decepticons would find somewhat enticing. Icy also found himself appreciating these things, but attempted to physically wave off his thoughts with his servos, the moment his processor and optic wandered down to the yellow bot's pelvic plating.

So if his physical appearance wasn't the issue, it was most likely...

"Because nobody takes ze time to get to know you. Zere processors are too small for zem to see more in you," Icy attempted to assure him with what he saw to be the truth.

He, after all, understood himself what it was like for people to judge the outward appearance of someone's personality... Well. Personalities.

This must have brought the scout some comfort, because he peeked through his fingers up at the Decepticon.

"You... Really think that's it?" He asked quietly, voice muffled by his servos.

"No. I _know_ zat is it, Bumblebee," the triple changer replied, vocal emitter unfaltering and optic fixed unblinkingly on the yellow bot's.

His words seemed to give the small mech's confidence a big boost, because he unhid his face, poking his chest out with pride. He beamed from one audio receptor to the other.

"Yeah, ha! You're right. It's not _my_ fault if they don't wanna see that there's more to me than meets the eye," Bumblebee boasted, olfactory sensory in the air.

Normally, Blitzwing would find the boastful display annoying, but having just gotten a glimpse of how truly lacking in confidence the minibot was a moment ago, he decided that he was fine with the show of self-confidence. A smile tugged at the corners of his lips.

"Zat is correct," he agreed, holding up a finger in concurrence.

Bumblebee returned his focus to the triple changer, his legs sprawling out on the spacious berth. He reclined slightly, his arms behind him for support.

"So, big guy, spill the Earth beans. I wanna know _alllll_ about where the three of you came from," he grinned, an eager look on his face.

Somehow, Blitzwing had picked up before that Bumblebee wasn't usually the listening type. (Who knows what gave the Decepticon _that_ idea.) So the scout's continued interest in the topic was a little endearing.

"Vell, alright," he smiled, lowering his leg from its position on top of the other.

Taking care not to kick the smaller bot off of the recharge slab, Icy brought both of his legs onto it, sitting cross-legged as Bumblebee had earlier. He was now facing the Autobot, his servos folding in his lap. The large mech had a moment of hesitation, because what he was about to divulge was personal. But he remembered that, despite their old rivalry, the yellow bot had found the courage to tell him something he considered personal enough to be embarrassing. With this thought in processor, he found it a little easier to continue.

"It's actually a malfunction," he began, pausing a moment to see if Bumblebee was interested to hear more about it.

When the canary-coloured bot lifted his servos and urged him to tell him more about it, he added on more.

"It's not a very common one. So zere isn't much information about it, or vat causes it. But sometimes, a personality chip can malfunction badly enough zat different parts of a bot's personality _become_ personalities."

Bumblebee nodded, looking up at the Decepticon with genuine interest. He took this as a cue to continue.

"Ozer internals are affected by zis change, especially ze t-cog. Nobody knows vhy, but it responds to ze additional personalities by changing certain parts of a Cybertronian so zat ze other personalities have an external outlet."

Icy paused again, just to make sure he wasn't being inconsiderate and talking the smaller bot's audials off. Bumblebee made an impatient noise, once again waving his servos at himself to indicate he wanted to hear more. The triple changer gathered his thoughts and continued.

"For example, zere is me. For some reason, my t-cog changed my alt mode as vell as my root mode, and even gave me special abilities. My face changes ven anozer personality takes over, as does my vehicle mode. It also changes my elemental ability to suit my personality. But it doesn't do zis to everyone. I know a bot who has six vehicle modes; one for each of his personalities. But his robot mode alvays stays ze same, and is his main personality."

At this point, Bumblebee cut in with a question, waving his servos in the air.

"Waiwaiwaiwait. How does someone with multiple personalities have a _main_ personality, if their personality chip split up their original personality into other parts? Doesn't it split them into equal parts."

"Vell, no; it doesn't really split ze personality into equal parts. Ze main personality holds ze most parts of ze original personality, and it's usually ze main one you see in control. Ze ozer personalities only react ven somezing affects ze parts of ze original, whole personality zat zey are a piece of. I'm sure you know Hothead is my response to feeling angry. Zat is because he is ze angry, impulsive part of my original personality"

Bumblebee's faceplate lit up in understanding.

" _Ohhh_ , I get it!" he announced, clapping his servos in front of himself and setting them in his lap.

"So _you_ , Icy, are Blitzwing's main personality! Right? But... Wait. Am I wrong when I call any one of you Blitzwing, then?" Bumblebee asked, cocking his head to the side and giving the larger mech a quizzical look.

"Yes, I'm Blitzwing's main personality. And no, you are not wrong ven you call us Blitzving, because ve are all part of our original personality," he assured the minibot, a small smile on his faceplate.

Seemingly satisfied with what he had learned, the yellow bot stood up on the slab, stretching.

"I guess you never really know what someone's story is, 'til you hear it yourself," he mused, continuing to stretch.

He sat back down facing the cell wall across from the recharge slab, legs dangling off the side of the berth. He looked over and up at the big bot. Since the smaller bot showed an interest in learning about Blitzwing, the Decepticon now found himself willing to hear something about Bumblebee. He looked down at the symbol on the minibot's chest, wondering what his post was.

"Elite Guard? Vat post?" The triple changer inquired, pointing down at the emblem.

Bumblebee flashed a denta-filled grin up at his companion.

"Scout. Not quite what I was aiming for, but, it's _something_. Though," his smile slowly fell, and he turned his attention to the wall, a distant look in his optics.

" _'Zough'_?" Icy asked, subtly indicating for him to continue talking.

"It isn't really how I expected it to be," he muttered, looking crestfallen.

"How so?" The triple changer inquired, though he guessed to himself it must have something to do with the strict rules and regulations he had been hearing about.

"Well, really, my whole team is a little... _Off-putting_ ," he grimaced, optic ridges furrowing.

"Tell me more about it," the Decepticon offered more than demanded, wondering what the other bot would consider as "off-putting".

Bumblebee turned his head to look back to Blitzwing, sighing.

"For starters, there's our team leader, Tailgate Prime. I don't really know how the slag _he_ became a Prime. He's constantly telling some of the biggest lies I've ever heard, and everyone except me just eats them right up. I mean, it must take a special kind of idiot to believe a single bot carried a giant ship out of an asteroid belt to safety using only a jetpack," he shook his head disapprovingly, continuing. "All he does is give me all the tasks he doesn't wanna do himself, and sit around, telling blatant bullscrap to _anyone_ who will sit and listen!"

"He sounds annoying," Icy deadpanned, shifting himself so he was sitting in the same manner as Bumblebee currently sat.

"Oh, you think he sounds bad?? The rest of my team is much worse," he grumbled, continuing his rant. "Stinger is a show-off. He's _always_ trying to one-up me! And he's uncannily good at a lot of things! What's worse is, he always apologizes after being better than me at something, like he's trying to gloat about being superior. On top of it all, everyone leers at him for his build. He's got a lot of smooth shapes and curves going on, so he's always got bots fawning over him. Ugh."

Icy fought the smirk that threatened to creep onto his faceplate. From what he had seen, the little yellow Autobot himself liked to show off, so of course anyone who was better at something would probably be the subject of Bee's strong dislike.

"And Flashlane? He might seem like a decent guy, but frag, he's always trying to be prank everyone. Nobody finds him funny, but he keeps on trying to be a prankster. It doesn't help that he does this thing where he can just suddenly pop up behind you and scare you! He also acts so immature," Bumblebee growled, folding his arms in front of his chest and hunching over.

The triple changer could somehow see the Autobot doing the exact same thing himself, but he decided not to interrupt the minibot.

"Because I'm the new guy, all three of them keep making _me_ do their daily duties for them," the yellow bot complained, glaring at the cell wall in front of him.

"It sounds like you've got a lot to handle," Icy offered, when it seemed that Bumblebee wasn't going to say anything further.

"Yeah," the scout confirmed after his anger began to diminish. "You know, it feels kind of nice, being able to tell someone about my problems for once," Bumblebee smiled partially as he looked up to the large bot, legs continually swinging like pendulums.

All things considered, Blitzwing felt sitting and talking with Bumblebee was _far better_ than sitting in a cell alone. He might even dare consider his mortal enemy "tolerable".

"You are surprisingly pleasant company, for being an _Autobot_ ," he informed the other, reciprocating the small smile he received.

"You're not so bad yourself, Blitzy," the scout replied as his smile widened, before quickly tacking on, "for a _Decepticon_ , that is."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, I'm sorry! QAQ Another long chapter. In general, I have this long winded away of explaining stuff, so I apologize. ;v;
> 
> I realize this fic is pretty slow paced right now, so I really appreciate your patience in sticking with me through this lack of immediate romance. ;w; 
> 
> Loving someone isn't an instantaneous thing (sometimes) in real life, especially not if you're transforming, sentient robots from opposing factions, who have fought each other multiple times in intense battles. 
> 
> A few things about the chapter's contents:
> 
> I just want to mention that I'm aware the AllSpark Almanac mentioned Blackarachnia having turned Blitzwing into a triple changer. However, I felt like specifically ME running with the idea would add the "I'm an experiment gone wrong" characterization to Blitzwing, and I'm just not as skilled at writing that as someone else could be. ^^;; 
> 
> I know that not everyone likes OCs, but a lot of the characters I planned on using to be in Bumblebee's team wound up having already been drafted and used in the universe. While re-purposing them wouldn't be hard, I had an TF OC just sitting around that I wasn't really using for anything, so I figured "What's the harm?"
> 
> Anyways, the next chapter is going to pick up the pace! 
> 
> If there's any improvements I can make, or if you see any errors, please let me know~! ;w; I'm the only person looking at these chapters before they go up. Additionally, if you think of something I may want to add to the tags, don't be afraid to let me know. I'm really gosh-awful at tagging. XD
> 
> (BTW, jic someone wants to see my lacklustre character designs for any of the characters mentioned in my fic that don't have canon TFA designs, I'll be adding some links gradually.:3)
> 
> EDIT 2: I've finished Bumblebee's team's designs! OuO Here they are! Please don't expect high quality art when you view them; they are just character designs, so they're meant to look simple, and I am a novice at art. TTvTT
> 
> Stinger:  
> https://1servointhescrapheap.deviantart.com/art/Stinger-TFA-redesign-710828263
> 
> Tailgate Prime:  
> https://1servointhescrapheap.deviantart.com/art/Tailgate-Prime-TFA-redesign-713538077
> 
> Flashlane:  
> https://1servointhescrapheap.deviantart.com/art/Flashlane-TFA-OC-713540807


	3. Romantic Feelings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A friendship blooms into something more, much to the hesitancy of one involved.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PLEASE BE ADVISED: There are mentions of suicidal thoughts in this chapter, along with some self-depreciation. I know these can be triggers for some individuals, and the last thing I want to do is cause anyone to experience any negative emotions brought on by reading about something someone has had personal experiences with.
> 
> I absolutely feel so grateful for every bit of support I am offered. It truly makes me happy knowing that people are enjoying my silly little writings, and I hope that I can continue to bring others enjoyment. ;v; <3 Thank you all for the supportive comments, and for enjoying my work! I will do my best, moving forward!
> 
> This chapter took a bit longer than I wanted, due to my life getting a little hecking crazy this past week. ;v; It happens to all of us, though, doesn't it?? 
> 
> As a note, this series will mostly focus on one character's narrative at a time, because I am used to RPing, and I stink at being both sides of a conversation. Should have probably mentioned that sooner...
> 
> Anyways!
> 
> Without further ado, please enjoy~!

Bumblebee's brisk walk towards Blitzwing's cell block was filled with a sense of excitement.

 

He had been coming to visit the Decepticon every day for just under two decacycles now, and each time he arrived, he noticed how bored out of his processor Blitzwing appeared to be. So the scout had asked Sari if he could borrow a few Earth books. She had been really curious about why Bumblebee, of all bots, would choose to read anything. He had reluctantly told her the reason he needed them, after she promised not to tell anyone. She really didn't agree with his attachment to the triple changer, and told him to be careful, but she ultimately forked over a few she had left from her homeschool days. He didn't know anything about the books, so he wasn't sure if they were interesting, but the Autobot was willing to wager that reading them _had_ to be better than doing nothing all solar cycle long. After he got them, he had to wait for them to be reviewed by the chief of security at Cybertron Max, because it was protocol for gifts to be reviewed before they were considered safe for prisoners to have.

 

Today, they were finally approved.

 

At the entrance to the cell block, he hurriedly swiped his badge across the access panel. The door seemed to be taking _forever_ to decide to open today, and the minibot tapped a stabilizing servo impatiently.

 

When the door finally clicked and began to part, he slipped through the opening as soon as it was big enough for him, and rushed towards his destination. He was grinning from audial to audial, imagining how happy Blitzwing would be with the books. The idea of the beige bot being happy because of something the canary-coloured bot did, in turn, made him feel happy. The door closed behind him, but since his complaint to security after almost losing his head the other day, it had been fixed, and no longer slammed shut in the violent manner it once did.

 

Bumblebee made his way over to Blitzwing's cell, where he reached over to swipe his badge once again. The access panel gave a soft beep in confirmation of his access, and he threw his badge back into his subspace, where it landed on top of the books. He didn't even bother to look inside the cell before entering, because he wanted to surprise the large bot. Barely containing his anticipation, he rounded the corner into the cell and passed the cyan forcefield. He opened his mouth to speak, but what his optics landed on made him freeze on the spot.

 

Blitzwing was sprawled out on his berth, in deep recharge. He was on his back, one of his arms dangling off the slab. Soft snores filled the cell, and an empty energon cube was next to him on the ground.

 

Never having seen Blitzwing like this before, Bumblebee cautiously made his way over to the berth to get a better look at the recharging bot. He minded the empty container as he did, and took care not to bump into the Decepticon's large servo hanging off the berth. When he finally was close enough, the scout came to realize he was too short to properly see over the metal slab from this position. The Autobot scowled, trying to stand at the tip of his stabilizers to see, but this didn't even really do much for him. He did take note that there was a good empty spot just his size on the slab, upon trying to hop quietly in place to see, though.

 

With a low, long exvent, he resigned himself to clamboring up onto the berth. The minibot absolutely _hated_ trying to get up on the tall piece of furniture. He was grateful that the triple changer was not awake to see his awkward struggle, but made a reminder to himself to bring a step stool for his next visit. When he _finally_ made it up, he positioned himself close to the large bot's chest. He kneeled, leaning towards the resting bot's helm.

 

Icy's normally stoic faceplate was the most relaxed it had ever been. His optics were closed, and his lips were parted ever so slightly. Bee swallowed hard as he took special notice of how soft the Decepticon's lips looked. His spark raced when his processor dared to wonder how they would feel against his own. Immediately after the notion ran through his processor, the yellow bot admonished himself for having thoughts like that, especially about somebot who wasn't even awake. He shook his helm in a vain attempt to banish the idea.

 

Bumblebee sat down with his back facing the other mech, feeling too ashamed to look directly at the recharging triple changer as his faceplate heated up. He didn't understand why he had these thoughts about Blitzwing, but it was hardly the first time. He often thought about the Decepticon in ways he knew weren't legally permitted, due to the other's status as a war criminal. He would sometimes catch himself admiring the large bot's smooth build, or thinking about getting closer to him when they sat next to each other. Something about being around Blitzwing made Bee feel funny inside. His spark would sometimes pulse quickly in his chamber when Icy smiled, and he couldn't help but feel happy when he laughed. He was the first bot to have ever taken a genuine interest in Bumblebee. The yellow bot felt drawn to him, like a magnet, and craved those little moments where Blitzwing gave him physical contact...

 

Bumblebee didn't know he was about to get the physical contact he was thinking about at that exact moment, though.

 

Without warning, the minibot was wrenched from his sitting position and scraped across the berth. He let out a yelp of surprise as the sudden change in his orientation failed to properly compute. He looked down to see a large arm around his waist, as he was pulled against an even larger beige chest in a firm hold. He wasn't sure why this was happening, but he bet it had _something_ to do with Random. Bee's first reaction to the situation was to try and squirm out of Blitzwing's grip, but he couldn't quite escape. He did, however, manage to wiggle himself free just enough to turn in his spot. As he turned, he readied his best glare and prepared to reprimand the Decepticon.

 

...Who, much to his surprise, was still recharging.

 

Bumblebee's glower fell as it dawned on him that Blitzwing must have pulled him close out of some sort of reflex in his recharge, possibly because of the warmth the Autobot was emanating. In any event, the scout was wedged between the side of the resting triple changer's chest and his arm, with nowhere really to go.

 

His initial annoyance at the situation dissipated as he stared up at Icy's faceplate, and took in the current state of things. There probably wasn't ever going to be another chance like this to just enjoy being held by somebot. Blitzwing was asleep, so he didn't have to put up any defences. He didn't have to justify wanting physical contact, or pretend to not like being touched. Right now, in this moment, Bumblebee didn't have to keep up appearances. He could just enjoy what was happening, with no obligation to explain himself, and the Decepticon wouldn't pick up any hints of the yellow bot's thoughts and feelings towards him.

 

If he didn't pick up on Bumblebee's feelings, that would mean the minibot wouldn't be pushed away or rejected by the triple changer. Bee would be able to just continue to show up, and not repel the only individual on Cybertron as of late who had thus far willingly put up with the scout and his hang-ups.

 

Over the span of the scout's thinking, the large mech's hold had notably lessened, allowing Bumblebee to maneuver a bit. He turned around to situate himself against the underside of the triple changer's shoulder joint, leaning back and placing his servos beneath his helm. Blitzwing's chassis was putting off a fair bit of warmth, which contrasted greatly with the somewhat chilly air of the cell. This was the most relaxed Bumblebee had felt in a while. He soaked it all in, feeling more and more comfortable with each passing cycle. After a while of just laying there, staring up at the non-descript ceiling of the cell, the smaller bot offlined his optics, his thought processing easing into a dull hum in the back of his helm. He felt almost calm enough to take a stasis nap, laying there and just listening to the gentle sound of the other mech's soft vents. The Decepticon cycling air was a far more pleasant noise than the snoring that he had been doing before.

 

Bumblebee's optics onlined promptly when his processor hung on that last thought, and he bolted up from his reclining position instantly.

 

If Blitzwing had been snoring _earlier_...

 

And he wasn't _now_...

 

The yellow bot's faceplate contorted into a wince as he mentally prepared himself for the worst. He turned his helm slowly back towards the Decepticon, delaying the inevitable confirmation of his suspicion that the large mech was indeed...

 

Wide awake.

 

Instead of the angry glare or nasty smirk the Autobot expected to meet, Icy simply stared down at Bee, his helm propped up with the aid of his other servo.

 

Bumblebee tried to jump up to his stabilizing servos, but his knees buckled, and halfway through standing, he fell backwards onto his aft. His faceplate became an inferno as he ditched the idea of standing, instead scrambling backwards using his servos and stabilizers to get away from the other mech.

 

"U-Uh, hey there, Blitzy~," he offered sheepishly, cracking a nervous, denta-filled grin.

 

Wordlessly, the beige bot sat up slowly,and extended a servo to reach behind Bumblebee, stopping him when he got too close to the edge of the recharge slab. The yellow bot looked behind himself at the large servo on his lower back to try and figure out why it was there, and when he realized how close he was to the precipice, his spark felt as if it dropped into his tanks. He looked back up at Icy, faceplate a hue of pink from his earlier embarrassment.

 

"Thanks for that," the scout muttered, hiding his servos in his lap, his optics cast downwards.

 

The triple changer hummed in acknowledgement, his servo lingering on Bee's back. The minibot could have sworn he felt one of the other's digits brush lightly across his back before his servo pulled away. Bumblebee's optics shifted from their downcast position to look upwards at the ever calm mech. Not particularly wanting to embarrass himself further by falling, he scooted himself further onto the berth, but did so reluctantly.

 

"I didn't expect you to show up so early, Bumblebee," the triple changer confessed, cocking his helm to the side.

 

"Uh, me neither," the yellow bot replied absently, his processor focused on other thoughts.

 

He was admittedly worrying over what reaction was going to inexorably occur. Anxiety started gnawing at Bee's internals, as he tried to gauge what Blitzwing was thinking about the situation a few cycles ago. He bit his bottom lip, looking anywhere but directly at the beige bot and fidgeting where he sat. He was sure he was going to be reproved. The scout started frantically searching his processor for a plausible excuse as to why he had snuggled up to the other bot, needing something to toss out whenever the Decepticon finally decided to bring up what happened.

 

"Vell, it vas pretty nice to vake up vis you so... Close," Icy mused, causing Bumblebee's optics to snap up and meet the single red optic of the larger mech.

 

Bee's processor ceased its current train of thought. His spark pulsed wildly in its chamber, his jaw going slack. He must not have heard him correctly. His audials were glitching, obviously. He reset his audio receptors before asking the other to repeat himself.

 

"I.. I'm sorry, could you repeat that?" The minibot requested, gaping up at Blitzwing.

 

The beige bot glanced to the side briefly, seemingly debating something, before clearing his intake and replying with a slightly louder, but calm tone.

 

"I said, 'it vas pretty nice to vake up vis you so close to me'," he restated, the corners of his lips pulling into a small but very noticeable smile.

 

"Oh," the canary-coloured bot whispered, faceplate heating up enough to cook Earth steak.

 

Frag, he couldn't think of what to say. He was downright surprised to hear that the other hadn't minded Bumblebee getting close to him like that. He hadn't been prepared for this sort of reaction. In a universe that seemed to constantly dump slag on his solar cycles, when other beings were involved, Bee never expected anything less than the absolute worse possibility. Luckily, the triple changer spoke up, and he didn't have to think of how to respond to what was said.

 

"In fact, I vouldn't mind if you got that close to me, vhenever you vant," Icy offered earnestly.

 

Okay, this had to be some sort of dream. He must have fallen into recharge, and was probably still laying on Blitzwing. Bumblebee was very hesitant to accept what was happening as reality. Wait. Maybe it was real? Maybe, though, the Decepticon was just pulling his leg. The scout's faceplate switched from disbelief to skepticism in an nanoklik, his arms crossing over his chest defensively. He'd rather go with the assumption he was being tricked, than to risk exposing his true feelings on the matter.

 

"I was tired, okay? You looked a lot more comfortable to lay against than the floor or recharge slab," he defended snappily, the pinkish hue of his warming faceplate belying his words.

 

He focused on the Decepticon's chin guard, feeling too uneasy by his lying to make direct optic contact.

 

The triple changer raised an optic ridge, donning a nonplussed look.

 

"Vell, if zat vas ze case, you'll probably find my lap more comfortable zan sitting vhere you are sitting now," the beige bot responded, patting his thighs invitingly with his servos.

 

Bumblebee frowned, looking from the Decepticon's lap to his faceplate several times, having an internal debate over what to do. On one servo, if he made a big deal out of it, and refused to sit on the large bot's lap, he would know that something was up. Bee had himself thoroughly convinced that if Blitzwing knew his strange feelings for the other mech, that he would definitely be shoved out of his life. He wanted to do everything he could to avoid that outcome. So, on the other servo, he could not make a big deal out of it, sit in Icy's lap, enjoy being close to him, and not have to worry about being pushed away. The answer was obvious.

 

The smaller mech stood up, his arms folding even more tightly across his little chest once he was on his stabilizers. He curled his upper lip, cerulean optics half-lidded.

 

"Fine; just situate yourself so you don't throw me off your lap trying to get comfortable later," he huffed, tapping a stabilizing servo with annoyance.

 

Icy's partial smile returned, and he shifted into a position that he knew he could sit in for a while without moving. One leg dangled off of the side of the recharge slab, while the other tucked beneath the knee joint of his hanging leg. When the triple changer looked ready, Bumblebee made his way over to the large mech, putting one of his servos against the other's shoulder for support as he prepared to sit.

 

"You just remember I don't have any sort of problem sitting on... Y-Your lap," he blustered, pointing a slightly shaky digit up at the Decepticon's face.

 

The other bot hummed in affirmation, but Bumblebee could have sworn he saw the large bot cut his optic out of his peripheral vision as he looked down at the thick, beige thighs he was about to climb onto. He decided to ignore what he thought he saw in favour of climbing over the large mech's leg to the space between his thighs, his back facing the other. The canary-coloured bot hesitated to sit, his his legs feeling weak. He trembled slightly. After a moment of standing there, trying to delay any potential repercussions of doing what he was about to do, he gingerly perched himself in the basket of legs beneath him. He fit almost a little too perfectly in the space he was sitting.

 

Reluctantly, he leaned back against Blitzwing's chassis, the cool glass of his cockpit almost cold enough to burn the yellow bot's back, with how hot he currently felt from embarrassment. Despite his leaning against the larger bot, he sat rather stiffly, keeping his limbs close to his own chassis.

 

"You can relax; I von't bite~," Icy lowly encouraged the small bot in a silvery tone.

 

He heard the other mutter something else under his breath afterwards, but didn't dare to ask him to repeat it, because he had other things on his processor. Bee willed his limbs to stop being so ridgid, and leaned a little more firmly against the other's front.

 

Bumblebee was still shaking, his entire frame running warm enough that he had to open his plating slightly to help his internal fans work more efficiently enough to cool him. This was a whole different experience with the other bot being awake. He could be judged, or chided for sitting wrong. At any moment, Blitzwing could change into one of his other personas, and decide to knock Bee off just because it could be funny, or because he annoyed them. It wasn't as comfortable as earlier, when the triple changer wasn't awake.

 

But slag if sitting in the Decepticon's lap didn't somehow feel right.

 

After a few cycles of staring blankly ahead at the wall, wide-optic-ed, the minibot began to feel more relaxed. He wasn't shaking anymore, and he allowed himself to sink a little further against the other's large frame. So far, he hadn't been pushed away. If the Decepticon had been just messing with him, by this point, he would have already sent the small bot flying off his lap. However, Bee also noticed the other hadn't put his arms around him or anything like that, so the yellow mech wondered if the triple changer had just offered Bumblebee a seat on his lap out of a sense of politeness. He didn't really think about any repercussions of asking when he blurted out the question.

 

"So, you're just letting me sit here to be nice, right?"

 

Before Bumblebee had the proper chance to regret what came out of his vocal emitter, the other replied.

 

"I don't really do 'nice', Bumblebee," Blitzwing stated matter-of-factly, shifting ever so slightly in his spot.

 

The scout turned his helm to look behind himself and up at the triple changer, who was staring down at him deadpan, crimson optic unblinking.

 

"I allowed you to sit zere because I vanted you to," he added evenly.

 

The minibot looked down absently at the Decepticon symbol on the beige mech's cockpit, trying to piece two and two together. Why did he want Bee to sit there? Something was keeping Bumblebee from seeing the very obvious big picture. Maybe it was his low self-esteem, maybe it was his inexperience. But for whatever reason, he wasn't expecting what the other mech was about to confess to him.

 

"I vanted you to sit zere because I have taken somevat of a special liking to you, Autobot."

 

Bumblebee's optics darted back up to meet Icy's, his spark skipping a pulse.

 

"What?" The minibot croaked, gawping up at Blitzwing as if the triple changer had started speaking some unknown language.

 

The Decepticon vented deeply, exhaling and bringing a servo up to gently cup the yellow mech's back. The unexpected contact surprise the Autobot, but he didn't pull away, despite the shiver that ran up his back strut.

 

"I mean zat I... Have romantic feelings for you," Icy muttered with an unusually tender tone.

 

The words echoed in Bumblebee's processor for a bit, his faceplate blank from shock. A subconscious part of him was sure that having heard what Blitzwing said blew a fuse somewhere in his internals. If he could barely believe everything that had happened so far, he certainly couldn't wrap his head around the reality of what was happening now. It was surreal. Not only did somebot have a romantic interest in him, but it was the very bot who he had been harboring special feelings for. He wasn't sure if his feelings for Blitzwing were romantic, because he hadn't really experienced them before in his life, but what he did know was that the beige bot was the only being he had ever had such feelings for. And from what he had seen in Earth TV and in those around him who were in relationships, his special feelings really sounded a lot like romantic ones...

 

"Bumblebee...?"

 

The concerned tone in the large bot's voice caused the smaller mech to snap back to reality, his optics fixing on the other's single crimson one, only to trail back down to his own lap. In the heat of the moment, Bee was tempted to lie and say that he didn't have any sort of special feelings for the triple changer. He would be doing him a favour. Bumblebee really wasn't experienced in matters of the spark. He didn't feel adequate enough for anybot, let alone someone who had come to mean so much to him in such a short amount of time.

 

"I..." He started, trailing off, as he argued with himself mentally over whether he should conceal the truth, or whether he should confess.

 

When he looked back up to Icy's patient, but slightly worried expression, he knew, though. He didn't have the spark to lie and potentially hurt the large bot by not reciprocating. Besides. The yellow bot _had_ told the other mech before that he hadn't really been with anyone else before... If Blitwing had grown attached to him despite that fact, he must have found him appealing in some other manner, even if the minibot couldn't see it himself. If it didn't work out in the end, Bumblebee had nothing to lose, and he could just... Disappear. His job sucked, most of the people he cared about were too busy for him, and he was lightyears away from the only place that had ever felt like home. He could just offline himself, and nobody would think twice about him being gone.

 

With that lost thought in mind, he threw caution to the wind, a sense of determination filling his frame as he mentally prepared to confess. He puffed out his chest, a courageous look settling on his faceplate, despite how violently his spark pulsed against its chamber.

 

"Blitzy, I have special feelings for you too," he spoke with confidence, reaching up to place his servos firmly against the larger bot's chest.

 

Icy's concerned visage melted into the biggest smile the Autobot had ever seen him make. It was really uncharacteristic, but at the same time, it made the scout feel warm and fuzzy inside, as if Earth kittens had housed themselves under his plating. Caught in the moment, Bumblebee shifted a little closer to the triple changer's chassis, until his chest bumped the other's cockpit.

 

"How do you feel about becoming romantically involved with me?~" The minibot asked flirtatiously, just trying his best not to screw things up by sounding as horribly inexperienced as he truly was.

 

"I feel like it could be a good sing," the Decepticon replied, lowering his face a little closer to the other mech's.

 

"Me too~," purred Bumblebee, who was so caught in the moment, he really hadn't been paying attention to the fact the other bot had been moving in for what looked like a kiss.

 

When it dawned on him what was happening, he had a mini internal crisis. The scout had _no_ slagging idea how to kiss! He had never done it before. What if he was terrible at it? What if he messed up, and Blitzwing dumped him right then and there??! He panicked a little, his confidence deflating quickly as the other continued breaching the distance between their faceplates.

 

He didn't have to worry about it much more, though, as the larger mech seemed to pick up on Bee's nervousness and instead planted the lightest of kisses on one of the yellow bot's warm cheeks.

 

Oh.

 

There was something Bumblebee could do easily enough.

 

He reciprocated, somewhat jerkily, but pressed a firm kiss to the other's cheek. They both pulled back slightly, and the smaller mech's face relaxed into a smile, which the beige bot mirrored back to him.

 

When he walked into the Decepticon's cell earlier, this turn of events wasn't even something Bee remotely expected.

 

The recollection of what he _had_ expected, though, reminded him of the books cluttering his subspace.

 

" _OH!_ " He hollered, causing the other bot to start.

 

The minibot reached into his subspace, pulling out the books and brandishing the awkward pile towards the triple changer's faceplate.

 

"I brought you a few presents!"

 

Blitzwing facepalmed.

 

Bumblebee had a lot to learn about timing.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bumblebee kinda killed the moment. :/ But him being inexperienced with love, I feel like he doesn't quite get the nuances of timing when it comes to romance. ewe Someone, help dis boi. xD
> 
> As a note, what Blitzwing said under his breath, after mentioning he wouldn't bite, was: "Unless you want me to." BD
> 
> Thank you all for bearing with me~! ;v;
> 
> I know this was a big jump from them becoming acquainted, to them becoming romantically involved. This fic will jump around a bit, as I make cuts to my storyline as needed. There was at least two more chapters before this, but they were literally just the bots talking and stuff, and it was really cluttering the flow of the story, so I used my newly learned summarizing skills to add the important parts into the narrative of this chapter. xD 
> 
> Originally, this fanfic series was going to have 27 chapters. (Yikes! DB>) But as I go, with me trimming, combining, and possibly spreading things out, that number is fluctuating. Ergo, my lack of giving a number of end result chapters for the series. 
> 
> As always, if there are any errors I've overlooked, or any ways I can improve, please let me know~! ;v; I want to make sure I am doing the best I can possibly do.


	4. Melting Fears

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Worrying is part of being alive, but when you love someone, you tend to worry even more about them. Will a kiss help soothe worried feelings?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Agghhhh, I know. ;v; This chapter took a long time, too. I'm really not a fast writer, and I kept getting distracted. ;v;
> 
> I don't think there are any triggers in this chapter, but if there are, please let me know, so I can tag them! 
> 
> Gosh, I can't thank everyone enough for the kind words, and the interest in my writing. ;v; When I started this fic, I really didn't expect anyone at all to read this, let alone enjoy it. QwQ I struggle, like some people do, with feeling like the things I do are adequate enough. So all of the encouragement you've been giving me is REALLY appreciated, and it does really make me feel like I can keep going, not just writing, but just in general. Thank you all so, so very much~ TTvTT 
> 
> I hope my writing can continue to entertain, as things are gradually picking up! ovo

Blitzwing was sitting on his berth, reading a human romance novel.

 

Even though he had a lot of emotions and thoughts swirling around inside of him currently, Hothead and Random had been quiet thus far into the solar cycle. This made it easier for Icy to analyze his thoughts in peace, but it was unusual for his other personas to be as inactive as they had been, lately.

 

He was grateful for the books he had received from Bumblebee. Even if they were Earth books, and were far too small and fragile to handle with anything other than delicate precision, they were a more preferred way to pass the time than just recharging all solar cycle. Despite having the books, though, he found himself unable to really focus on reading them, due to how busy his processor was.

 

There was plenty to ponder upon, and as always, the main thing on his processor was a certain small, yellow mech. With Bee's visits over the past couple of decacycles, he had grown to think romantically of the minibot, and it hadn't been hard to tell the other had thoughts like that towards him as well. The Decepticon had caught him many times admiring his build, and he took notice of how the small bot would sometimes shift a little closer when they sat together.

 

Despite this, he didn't speak up about his feelings. Icy, in particular, hadn't felt right just up and asking the smaller mech to become romantically involved. The main reasoning behind his hesitancy was his recollection of hearing about an Autobot law which made relationships with war criminals illegal. He wasn't sure how much trouble Bumblebee could get in if they were caught, but he had no desire to cause the little bot trouble, especially not if there was a risk of it causing Bee any sort of unwelcome pain.

 

In retrospect, his need to not hurt the Autobot contrasted _vastly_ from past feelings towards him.

 

Blitzwing could easily recollect that not so long ago, he wanted to do nothing but pound Bee into scrap metal...

 

And not in a sexual way, like he wanted to now.

 

Icy smiled with mild amusement at the current direction of his thoughts, flipping the page of the book he was reading absently. At this point, his optic just scrolled over the words on the pages, not really processing anything he read. He recovered his train of thought from that little detour, though, deterred from perversion by his lack of desire to self-service this early in the solar cycle. He instead recalled the events of the day before yet again, for the umpteenth time today, somewhat obsessive in his pursuit of analyzing them.

 

Yesterday, the beige bot had onlined when he heard Bumblebee's struggle to climb onto the berth. Despite the yellow mech's obvious attempts to keep quiet, the Decepticon's audials were too sensitive in recharge for Bumblebee to make that much noise so close to him and not disturb him. Icy had pretended to be recharging, but was fully aware and functional when the other bot had been really close to him. The urge to pull Bee closer had proved itself uncontrollable enough that he actually did it, then pretended to be in recharge afterwards. He had felt the minibot squirm a bit, before he finally settled willingly in to cuddle up against Blitzwing. At that point, the triple changer couldn't resist but to sit up and admire the sight of the warm little mech nestled against his side.

 

When the other had realized he wasn't asleep, something about the situation triggered his not-so-subtle attempt to flirt, and thereafter, confess. Maybe it was because of the close contact he had gotten to enjoy, or maybe it was because of the solar cycles of constantly picking up on the scout's feelings. He wasn't know. But whatever it was, Blitzwing couldn't bide his glossa about his feelings any longer.

 

Icy was a little disappointed in himself for not managing to hold back. He wasn't normally like that. He could keep a lid on personal feelings and thoughts that weren't related to anger, or weren't related to some fleeting fancy, with absolutely no problem, prior to the circumstances of yesterday. There was some unidentifiable quality in the Autobot that relaxed the triple changer enough to drop his guard.

 

His regret about speaking up wasn't about embarrassment, though; rather it was rooted into his concern for Bumblebee's well-being.

 

Blitzwing exvented, sitting down his book facedown on his recharge slab, abandoning his futile attempts to actually comprehend what he was reading. His optic fixed unblinkingly at the cover.

 

They would need to have a serious discussion when Bumblebee showed up.

 

At the very least, Icy wanted to be sure his newfound partner wouldn't get executed or have to deal with some other ridiculously harsh Autobot punishment, if they were caught.

 

"Is it boring?"

 

Startled, Icy's helm jerked up for his wide-optic-ed gaze to meet the sapphire optics that belonged to his partner. Bumblebee was already standing inside Blitzwing's cell, his helm cocked to the side, expression questioning in nature. The larger mech hadn't even heard the sneaky little bot come in over his busy thoughts. His ability to be so silent must make him quite good at his job...

 

The minibot didn't squander the opportunity to remind the Decepticon that having the ability to be silent and actually _using_ that ability were two very different concepts.

 

"Uhhh, Blitzy?? _Hell-o_???? I asked you something," the yellow mech announced loudly, furrowing his optic ridges and waving his servos impatiently as if he was indicating that he thought he wasn't noticed or heard.

 

Icy's astonished expression melted into the usual deadpan at the obnoxious display, and he felt a twinge of annoyance. Before Blitzwing could even get a grip on his emotions, Icy was shuffled to the side, his faceplate switching to Hothead's as the irate personality took control.

 

" **I VAS GOING TO ANSWER EVENTUALLY!! CAN'T YOU VAIT FOR ANYSING???** " The Decepticon barked, shaking a clenched fist in the small bot's direction warningly.

 

The diminutive Autobot apparently didn't feel suitably threatened, though, because he wasted no time making his own annoyance known.

 

" _Well_ , I didn't know if you three were having a private conversation or something, so I tried to get your attention!" The canary-coloured bot snapped, his servos on his hips. "Sor- _RY_ for not having direct access to your processor, Blitzbrain," he muttered, optics darkened by his glare, and his jaw clenched.

 

As irritated as the triple changer was, he did recognize that it was a legitimate reason, and he was able to reel his anger in a bit more.

 

 **"Ven you're here** , **ve don't really talk much among ourselves** ," he responded with notably less anger, though his voice remained stentorian.

 

Bumblebee's mouth moved in a silent "oh", his frame relaxing a bit, and his servos dropping to rest by his sides.

 

"That's... Actually good to know," the small bot mused, looking off at the cell wall.

 

The taller bot stared down pensively at the yellow mech in front of him, as his irritation ebbed away. Hothead hadn't really had much of a chance to interact with Bumblebee himself. Icy considered allowing him to remain the current dominant personality for a while longer, since, like Icy and Random, he had an interest in the scout. But the calm persona had things to discuss with the Autobot, so he resumed control over Blitzwing, the current red faceplate swapping back to Icy's pale blue one.

 

"To answer your question, I--" the beige bot started, watching as his partner drew closer and popped open his subspace, bringing out a stepstool.

 

The sight distracted him enough that his processor went blank for a nanoklik. He couldn't quite resist but to find it somehow cute when the minibot sat it down and used it to climb up onto the recharge slab next to him. This was the first time Bee hadn't had to scramble up onto the tall piece of furniture, which he had grown accustomed to seeing and pretending not to have witnessed every single time. When the yellow bot looked chuffed to pieces by his accomplishment, Icy resisted the urge to smile, or say anything about it. He had come to understand the mini was quite sensitive about his height, and the Decepticon didn't particularly want to upset him somehow by bringing up the situation.

 

Bumblebee walked closer to Blitzwing and looked down at Icy's lap, pointing a digit at it.

 

"I can sit here, right?" He asked earnestly, looking back up to the larger bot with uncertainty.

 

The triple changer nodded, offering the canary-coloured mech a reassuring smile.

 

"Anytime you vant~," he purred pleasantly, adjusting himself into a more comfortable position so that he wouldn't need to re-situate them both later due to discomfort.

 

The yellow mech wasted no time parking his rear in the Decepticon's lap, and he sat facing the triple changer. Icy admired the view of the little Autobot sitting on him, and the contentment on his grey faceplate as he looked up to the taller mech. He didn't seem as hesitant or nervous as he had been yesterday, which was a drastic change, in such a short amount of time. He silently pondered why he was less tightly wound, but didn't bring it up due to his worry of renewing his anxiety. Instead, he opted to finishing his response from earlier, clearing his intake.

 

"I didn't find it boring, to answer your question. I vas just sinking," he informed his partner, who looked up at him with large optics.

 

"What were ya thinking about?" Bee asked, huddling closer to the large chassis of the other.

 

He rested his chin on Blitzwing's cockpit, using it to prop his helm up to look up at the triple changer. Icy had to assume his neck was probably tired from looking up at him constantly, and he wondered if it was sore. He reached around the yellow mech to bring his comparatively large servos to the small of his back and began working his digits into the supple protoflesh, his goal to massage his way up to his neck. The scout exvented softly, and the Decepticon felt the small bot relax further against his chassis at his ministrations. The other's blue optics grew hald lidded, his faceplate a visage reflecting his current placidity.

 

"I vas thinking about you, actually," the beige bot replied, working his digits gradually up the canary-coloured mech's back struts, being mindful not to press too hard and cause pain.

 

Bumblebee shuttered his optics completely and hummed lowly in response, clearly enjoying the massage he was receiving.

 

"More specifically, about us being together, if I must be honest. I know zere are laws zat prevent Autobots from being vis var criminals," Icy confessed, staring down pensively at the Autobot.

 

Bee's optics peeked open to slivers, a smile crawling across his faceplate.

 

"You're worried about me, huh?~" The mini crooned, his smile shifting into a lazy, denta-filled grin.

 

"Actually, yes. I am vorried zat if ve are caught, you vill be in trouble," the Decepticon admitted, his calm expression belying the concern he felt; though, he continued kneading the other's back.

 

The scout's arms came up to wrap around the front of the beige mech's chassis as best they could, which wasn't very far, and he made an attempt to hug the big bot.

 

"I won't get caught," he assured the triple changer, nuzzling the smooth, black glass of his cockpit, afterwards burying his faceplate into it.

 

Somehow, this didn't put his processor at ease.

 

"If you _do_ get caught, vat vill happen to you?" He inquired, his servos stopping where they were so he could get Bumblebee's full attention to answering his question.

 

This caused the yellow bot to look up with a slightly disgruntled expression, obviously unhappy that the massage had been stopped, and possibly upset that the other wasn't as sure as he was that he could evade getting spotted being romantic with the Decepticon.

 

"It doesn't really matter, does it, if I'm _not going to be caught_?" The scout emphasized, frowning.

 

"It matters to _me_ ," he responded matter-of-factly, doing his best to stay calm.

 

Bee exvented loudly, sitting up and dropping his servos to his lap, looking exasperated.

 

"If you really want to know, at the minimum, I'll lose my job, which I _really_ hate anyways. At the most, I'll probably go to jail. Which, hey; will most likely land me in here with you, considering you're one of the biggest war criminals around, and I'd be committing high treason for consorting with you. If that happens, I could pull some strings, and at least be put in the cell across from you, and we can talk whenever we want," the minbot explained, his servos moving around him as he talked to emphasize his words. "But that's assuming I'll even _be_ caught. You and I both know the schedules for the guards' visits. And you've still got a whole 'nother _stellar cycle_ before they can even _start_ doing your trial, thanks to Sentinel's pit-bent _obsession_ with convicting Megatron. So you won't have any surprise visits from lawyers or whatever. So, we don't really have to worry," he finished nonchalantly, shrugging and shaking his helm.

 

Icy wasn't particularly reassured.

 

"Do you really not mind ze risk?" He inquired solemnly, staring down unblinkingly at the yellow mech.

 

Bumblebee's faceplate lit up in a brazen grin, his optic ridges furrowing as he flashed his pearly white denta.

 

"I _live_ for risk," the Autobot stated boldly, jabbing a thumb at himself indicatively. "Besides. Being with you is _worth_ the danger~," he added with a honeyed tone, leaning once more against the other's frontside with his chin propped up on his cockpit.

 

The triple changer found that he didn't want to further object, as long as the minibot knew what he was getting into. He had seen the scout's lack of confidence before, and it was disheartening to witness. Seeing his current state of certainty was an intense contrast to that. Feeling sufficiently persuaded, knowing his partner was convinced things would be okay and that he didn't mind the potential risk, the Decepticon renewed his massaging of the yellow mech's back.

 

"If that's how you feel, zen, I vill not argue," the large bot conceded with a minute smirk, leaning down to press a light kiss to the other's forehelm, sitting back straight afterwards.

 

Bumblebee once again melted into his frontside at the rubdown he received, making small, pleased sounds when Blitzwing pressed his digits into parts that felt particularly tense under the surface. Azure optics slowly closed once more, and his lips parted slightly. Icy felt his spark skip a pulse at the sight. His lips looked exceptionally inviting, at the moment.

 

He did his best to continue, though he felt a particularly strong pull to kiss the minibot currently. He massaged the seams in the solid plating of the yellow mech's upper back, finally making his way up to the soft protoflesh of his neck. Circumspectly, he rubbed the delicate mesh. This rewarded him a lopsided smile and satisfied bombination from the scout. This, in turn, caused Icy's own lips to twist into an accomplished simper.

 

"That feels great, Blitzy~," Bumblebee rumbled encouragingly, cracking open an optic lazily to look up at the large mech.

 

Apparently, it felt _really_ great, because at that moment, there was a small click, and the Autobot's fans hummed to life. The sound was emphasized in the quiet of the cell, and it caused both of them to freeze on the spot. Bumblebee bolted up straight, his grey faceplate instantaneously becoming vividly red, his expression nothing short of mortified.

 

"U-Uhhh..." The yellow mech stammered, looking up with horror at the Decepticon, then down to his own lap.

 

Icy's current options were: Act like he hadn't noticed, which most likely wouldn't work, because he was sure even the people of Earth, all the way across the universe, had heard _those_ fans come on. Or, he could not make a big deal out of it, and try to comfort him. In any event, Blitzwing's chassis was rapidly warming of it's own volition, in response to realizing the other mech had been getting aroused. He needed to distract himself, before his fans kicked in as well, and the other realized he had found Bumblebee's reaction to his massage stirring. He didn't want to cause the minibot any further feelings of humiliation.

 

"It happens to everyone. You can't alvays control ze vay your body reacts to somesing," the beige bot consoled his partner, placing his servos on the curved planes of the canary-coloured mech's comparatively smaller shoulders.

 

He offered a miniscule, empathetic smile when the scout looked up to him with concern.

 

"You were just... And I--"

 

The triple changer could see him starting to become flustered as the minibot began spewing nonsense, so he pressed a digit against the other's busy lips, his understanding smile widening ever so slightly. When the other stopped, and gave him a questioning look, Icy pulled his digit away, seizing the opportunity to _really_ take the yellow mech's processor off of his worries.

 

His servo cupped his partner's small chin, his grip firm, though still delicate. He stared deeply into those bright, cerulean optics, his assuring expression giving way to a tender gaze. Remembering how going slowly had caused the yellow bot to panic before, Icy closed the gap between their faceplates rather swiftly, descending upon his lips in the lightest of kisses. The Autobot's optics went wide, and he small sound of surprise against the large mech's mouth, but he didn't protest of pull away. Icy understood it to be permission to linger, his partner's soft, petite lips every bit as luscious he had imagined.

 

It didn't take very long for Bumblebee to return the gesture subtly, his surprised expression ebbing away into placidity. The triple changer deepened their kiss, pressing his lips with faint firmness into his partner's. The mini's small servos sprawled over Blitzwing's chest, responding with the same firmness he was on the receiving end of. When Bee hummed lowly against the Decepticon's mouth, Icy gingerly brushed his lips against the scout's, his motions slow and deliberate. A quick learner evidently, the Autobot mirrored his movements, working his lips haltingly into the large mech's. His osculations were clumsy, but that was to be expected, considering how he had mentioned before to Blitzwing that he was inexperienced, romantically. But what he couldn't quite pull off with fluidity, he seemed to be trying to make up for with eagerness.

 

The corners of Icy's lips marginally twitched into a smile, finding the other's earnest kissing endearing. He patiently met each motion of the other's lips with his own, the servo on his partner's chin moving around to the back of his helm. He used its new position to pull Bumblebee's head closer, deepening their kiss further. The triple changer's processor began feeling foggy as he lost himself in their kiss, his movements pure instinct at this point. His optic closed slowly.

 

He felt perfectly content, just kissing like this for the rest of his existence.

 

...Until something small and wet swept over his upper lip, interrupting his daydreaming.

 

Icy's optic snapped open at the feeling of the other's glossa.

 

Bumblebee had apparently been watching his reaction, and the scout pulled back quickly, obviously thinking he had done something wrong. His faceplate turned red once again with embarrassment, his optic ridges knitting together.

 

"S-Sorry; it felt like the right thing to do..." He apologized quickly, waving his servos in front of himself.

 

The Decepticon smiled softly, pulling his servo away from his partner's helm.

 

"It vasn't wrong, Bumblebee; I vas just surprised," he assured the minibot, placing his servo on the other bot's thigh comfortingly. "I know you said you had never been with anybot else before, so I didn't vant to push too much on you at vonce. I vas not expecting you to do zat; zat's all," he concluded, brushing his thumb against his partner's thigh absently.

 

Bee's worry visibly melted away, and he beamed up at the large bot.

 

"I _am_ full of surprises~," the yellow mech confessed, placing his servos over the dark one resting on his thigh.

 

The Decepticon brought his helm in close to the scout's, his optic half-lidded, and a faint, sly smirk pulled at his lips. Now that he had a taste, he found himself _very_ unable to resist the Autobot.

 

"If you vant to try zat again...,~" the beige bot offered in a sultry tone, his crimson optic fixed steadily on his partner's.

 

Bumblebee's faceplate certainly could rival an Earth tomato, currently.

 

"U-Uh-huh...." the little mech stammered, his helm betraying his nervousness by nodding furiously.

 

Icy had never smiled as large as he was smiling right now. He couldn't imagine how potentially terrifying the sight might be, but he didn't really care. He leaned in closer to his anxious partner, their lips centimeters from meeting again...

 

With a yelp of surprise, Bumblebee leapt to his stabilizers, standing on Icy's lap. This caused Blitzwing to jerk his helm back to try and get a look at whatever had startled his partner, but when he looked around, he saw nothing. It took him a moment of complete confusion to realize that the scout's internal com link must have had a call. His suspicions were confirmed when the Autobot started talking to nobody at all.

 

"Yeah, yeah, I heard you," he growled at whoever was on the line, stepping off of the large mech's lap and onto the recharge slab.

 

He glared off at the cell wall, optic ridges furrowed.

 

"Fine, but I want _a full solar cycle off_ , afterwards; got that?" The yellow mech snapped, waving a digit admonishingly at whoever was on his com link, as if they could hear it.

 

Blitzwing had noticed his habit of doing that anytime he got a call. It was mildly amusing to watch him gesture and make faces as if those he talked to over his internal com could see him. He smirked slightly.

 

"I'll meet you guys there in half a megacycle," Bumblebee grumbled, looking quite annoyed.

 

The small mech turned his attention to Blitzwing, an unamused expression on his faceplate.

 

"They want me to go to Metroplex, because someone reported Decepticon activity, and everyone in my team is required to go because of how big the city is," he informed the large bot, his unhappiness with the situation made evident by the slouch in his posture.

 

Blitzwing reached over and took one of his partner's small servos into his own, bringing it up to his faceplate. He planted a delicate kiss against his knuckles, smiling understandingly.

 

"Ve can pick up vere ve left off, next time, if you feel up to it~," he offered, causing the scout to become flustered again.

 

"Y-Yeah," Bumblebee mumbled, looking aside shyly.

 

The canary-cloured bot pulled his servo back with visible reluctance, stepping closer to the large mech on the berth. He looked back to Blitzwing, exventing softly. He seemed to deliberate something briefly, before standing on the tips of his stabilizers and planting a kiss to the the Decepticon's shoulder, it being the only high place he could reach. The triple changer wasted no time in leaning down and returning the gesture, though his kiss was on the top of the yellow mech's helm. This caused the little bot to grin, and he pulled away, hopping off of the berth.

 

Blitzwing watched with a sense of sadness as the mini picked up his stool, adding it back into his subspace with his backside facing the triple changer. He didn't want Bee to leave so soon, especially to be stuck around bots he knew didn't appreciate the scout enough.

 

The small mech turned back around to face the beige bot, offering a corny salute.

 

"I'll be back as soon as I can be," he reassured the large mech, heading towards the azure forcefield leading out of the cell.

 

"I'll be vaiting here," Icy responded with a sad smile, a heavy feeling in his spark.

 

They stared at each other wordlessly for a while, before Bumblebee turned to leave, heading out of the cell.

 

"I'm glad you will be," he added with his back turned, his helm turning enough so he could offer his own sad smile to the triple changer.

 

With that, he left down the hall, leaving Blitzwing alone with his books again.

 

The Decepticon looked over at the human romance novel still sitting on his recharge slab.

 

No written words would be able distract him from how immensely he had grown to care for and depend on the little yellow mech, in such a short amount of time... And they wouldn't keep him from missing Bumblebee, either.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some romance stuff, yay~! xD 
> 
> OH. Okay, so I know I mentioned in the previous ending notes of chapter two that I would upload/share the designs for the characters I added into the TFA universe, and I am working on them, still! OvO I've gotten only Stinger done, currently, and I had my OC Flashlane already, but I really want to toy with his design a bit more, because it's kind of bland rn. xD So, anyways, I'm going to go and put the link for Stinger's design in the end notes of chapter two, so when he's brought up again, you have a mental image to associate with his design. [Like, Idk if is as important to other people as it is to me, but I'm one of those folks who finds it much easier to imagine characters doing things if I know what they look like. xD ]
> 
> I'm also gonna clean up the tags a bit, because they are bugging my OCD. xD
> 
> Anyways, I might not update this next week, as I'm working on a new BlitzBee fic for Halloween! OvO It's gonna have a REAL BIG twist, though. ;3 On top of that, I am making Halloween-ish art to celebrate, so I'll be a little occupied. BUT. I will DEFINITELY be updating with the next chapter by the end of the week after next. :3 We'll see!! 
> 
> Please, if you see any errors, I encourage you to let me know~ uvu I also appreciate any tips I can use to improve my writing! ;v; Thank you for reading~ 
> 
> EDIT NOTE: No big changes; I just fixed something I noticed I messed up. ^^


	5. Change What's Necessary for a Better Future

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, trying to change things for the better can be a difficult task.
> 
> Bumblebee brings Blitzwing some sweets, as well as good news.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took so long, and I am super sorry about that. @^@
> 
> I won't ramble much, here, but I had to re-work parts of the storyline, because they didn't fit as well together in practice as they did in concept. On top of that, certain parts of my life got a bit crazy. ;v; 
> 
> Before we get into the story, it's very important to me that I thank everyone who has been reading, commenting, and leaving kudos on my work, so far. ;v; Thank you all, so much. I can't tell you how much I appreciate the feedback, and the support. I was getting really frustrated with inconsistencies in the storyline, and did almost give up writing this, because working them out became a little frustrating. But I pushed forward, got everything fixed, and that's thanks to all of you~! TTvTT You've definitely helped me stay determined.
> 
> Anyways, on with the chapter!! >w<

"Alright, you're clear. Head on through"

 

The guard at the security gate waved his scanner towards the doorway leading into the prison, dismissing Bumblebee. The minibot felt a wave of relief wash over him as he passed through the forcefield leading in, having been on edge moments before. He had been nervous mostly due to the fact he was smuggling in candied energon for Blitzwing.

 

The sweets were stashed in various locations in the scout's plating, and had literally no chance of being picked up on in any scans. Even still, he was worried somehow he would be caught. The yellow mech wouldn't have had to conceal something so innocuous, if the prison didn't require any gifts for the prisoners to be submitted to security for lengthy and convoluted processing. He didn't know exactly _what_ sort of tests security performed on the items, but he knew he wasn't going to wait an _entire solar cycle_ just to bring his partner something as harmless as candied energon.

 

In any event, it wasn't the only thing he was bringing Blitzwing today. His faceplate lit up, excitement filled his small frame, and a bounce entered his step as he recalled that he also had good news for the Decepticon.

 

He might have found a way to get the triple changer out of prison, as well as pardoned for his crimes.

 

The remembrance of this fact spurred him to hurry towards his destination, the long path to his partner's cell seeming a little more frustratingly lengthy, today. He could hardly wait to tell Blitzwing all about what he had found out while on his prior scouting mission in the Metroplex district.

 

As he hurried, he recalled the stories he'd overheard in Metroplex of a fairly notorious Decepticon who very recently successfully defected to the Autobots. He had been completely excused for his multitudinous crimes, and was even currently training to become a Cyber-Ninja.

 

Bumblebee couldn't believe his audials when he first heard it, but when he saw multiple articles in his datapad from reputable news sources, he did some digging. He found out that Decepticons who could contribute to Autobot society and denounced their old ways could become an Autobot. The process seemed simple enough, and for the most part, relatively painless. There would be a few trials to determine the legitimacy of the request, and the proper placement for the bot in question, but in the majority of cases he looked into, he observed that the court ruled in favour to the bots. The only times he saw that a case hadn't been approved was when the bots looking to defect had offlined, and those individuals had all just done so from various typical system failures.

 

The scout went through the motions of scanning his badge where needed, his anticipation ultimately causing him to feel a bit annoyed with his lengthy journey. The energon candy in his plating, jabbing into his protoflesh as he walked wasn't helping him feel calmer, either. Bumblebee's diminutive height had always been an inconvenience for him, but right now, it was a painfully obvious hindrance in getting him to where he needed to be, as quickly as he would like to be there. His short legs struggled to traverse hallways built for much larger bots than him, and he mentally thanked the AllSpark when he made it finally to Blitzwing's cell block.

 

The scout impatiently slapped his badge against the block's access panel, pulling it away as the panel chirped, granting him access. As usual, he hardly waited for the metal doors to fully open to rush through them.

 

Already in the hall, he jumped when he heard a loud clang behind him, his spark feeling like it leapt into his intake. He spun around to see what the cause of the sound was, though he had a suspicion he knew what it was before he turned to look. His optics confirmed his hunch as they met the metal panels of the cell block, now interlocked.

 

The doors were messing up _again_??

 

Whatever.

 

He shook his helm, too mentally occupied to further question it, as he headed towards Blitzwing's cell. When the familiar blue forcefield came into view, Bumblebee began to beam, his prior irritation slowly ebbing away. He fumbled with his badge as he swept it over the cell's access panel, stuffing it into his subspace when he was admitted.

 

"Guess who's here, Blitzy~?" The minibot sang as he bounded into the cell, grinning massively.

 

Random, the current persona in charge, must have heard the doors slam, because he was crouching on his recharge slab. The instant the yellow mech was far enough inside, the taller bot pounced on him. Before Bumblebee could register what was going on, or protest, he was on the floor, pinned down by the Decepticon.

 

"Ve missed you~!" The beige mech purred, rubbing his inky faceplate against Bee's.

 

The minibot didn't mind the affection; in fact, he was happy for it. What he _did_ mind was the large amount of pressure being put on him from the big bot putting too much of his weight on him. He could feel the candy in his plating dig into his protoflesh, and it was _not_ his idea of a good sensation. He tapped the Decepticon's shoulder as best he could, trying to get his attention.

 

"I missed you too, but, hey... Can you let me up, please...?" He croaked, a pained grin cracking across his faceplate.

 

Random looked down at him questioningly, before a glimmer of understanding lit up his expression.

 

"Sorry~! I vas just so excited to see you~!" The beige mech apologized, hurriedly climbing off of the small bot and standing up.

 

Exventing in relief, Bumblebee sat up, feeling grateful that the unpredictable personality decided to listen to him. It wasn't often he could reel in Random's intense need to satisfy every whim the Decepticon had.

 

"It's okay. I was excited to see you, too," the Autobot replied with a smile, dusting his backside off as he stood.

 

The canary-coloured mech decided now would be a good time to offer Blitzwing the candy, as he more than had enough of it bearing into his protoflesh. Also, he was feeling a little eager to see how the capricious persona would respond to the gift.

 

"So I brought you guys something~," the minibot hummed, a smirk spreading across his visage.

 

The large bot's constant jagged smile widened considerably, and his crimson optics grew larger.

 

"Ooooh, vat is it?!~" Random asked excitedly, dropping to his knees and sitting on his stabilizers.

 

He looked at Bumblebee expectantly, and the little bot couldn't help the widening of his smirk...

 

Until he realized he would have to pull parts of his armour off...

 

In front of his partner.

 

The small mech's faceplate heated up at the thought, and his mirthful expression faltered. He looked at the floor of the cell, starting to feel a little anxious. He could just ask him to look away... Right? He would probably listen.

 

"Uh," the scout started, looking nervously up at the larger bot. "Y-You gotta turn away, first, okay...?" He asked tremulously, hoping that the other would comply.

 

Random's face lit up even more, and he cackled with glee.

 

"A surprise??!~ I love surprises~!!"

 

The Decepticon responded with more willingness than Bumblebee could have hoped for, and he immediately turned his back to the minibot, even going so far as to bring his servos up to cover his optics. The yellow mech's processor was eased tremendously by this, and he wasted no time in getting the sweets out.

 

He pulled at the seam on his side of his torso armour, separating it and lifting it from his protoflesh just enough to drop one of the bags of energon candies into his waiting servo. He closed his armour with a click, going next for the candy hidden under his shoulder and keeping an optic on his partner. Last, he pulled off the armour of his stabilizer, pulling the final bag of the Cybertronian confection out. He slipped his stabilizer back into the armour, feeling grateful that Blitzwing hadn't turned around and looked the entire time.

 

Bee held out his multiple gifts towards the large mech, clearing his intake.

 

"You can turn around and look now~," he announced, the smile returning to his faceplate.

 

Random spun around quickly to face him, pulling his servos away from his optics. When his gaze met the bags in Bumblebee's servos, he looked as if he might explode from excitement. He readily snatched the bags, giggling to himself.

 

"Vat's in here?~" The large mech inquired, opening one of the bags and thrusting it up towards his faceplate to look inside.

 

He jostled the contents around, evidently not being able to see what it was. The scout couldn't help but chuckle at the beige bot when he finally gave up on trying to look in the bag, and instead dumped the contents into his large servo. Any prior exuberance the Decepticon had shown was nothing in compare to how elated he became when tiny pink cubes dropped onto his palm.

 

"CANDIED ENERGON!!!~" He squealed with delight, dropping the other bags as he became totally absorbed in admiring the sweets he held.

 

When the triple changer popped a piece in his mouth, his happy expression melted into one of bliss, his optics half closing. He seemed to be really enjoying it, as the satisfied hum he gave helped to indicate.

 

"So good~..." The large mech spoke around the confection in his mouth, clutching the other sweets in a fist.

 

The Autobot beamed, feeling proud of himself for being able to bring his partner so much enjoyment.

 

"There's a bag for each of you, so just don't eat them all yourself; 'kay, Random?" The yellow bot informed him, more than asked, but Blitzwing nodded his helm slowly in response anyways.

 

Suddenly, the Decepticon perked up again, scrambling closer to the small bot and brandishing the servo full of sweets at him.

 

"Have some~!" He demanded, offering a piece between his forefinger and thumb.

 

As nice as the gesture was, the minibot didn't feel right accepting the sweet, knowing that he could just go out and buy more, while the other couldn't. He brought his servos up in front of himself, waving them vigorously.

 

"No thanks; that candy's for you," Bumblebee responded in a modulated tone, taking care to not sound rude.

 

Despire his polite refusal, Random brought the sweet up to the yellow bot's lips, tapping it against them lightly.

 

"Open up~!" He ordered playfully, now using the small cube to gently nudge Bee's lips in various directions.

 

Blitzwing no doubt found what he was doing amusing, because he started to giggle as he did it. Bee wondered how goofy the larger bot was making him look, before he debated the situation at hand.

 

As bad as he would feel for accepting the candy under the present circumstances, the scout decided he would feel worse for making the other feel unhappy. He opened his mouth partially, and the Decepticon stopped what he was doing, looking down at the yellow mech with a silly grin.

 

"Here you go~," the whimsical persona hummed, slipping the confection into Bumblebee's mouth.

 

The minibot savoured the rich flavour as the treat gradually melted in his mouth, and he worked it around with his glossa. He noticed the large mech staring at him expectantly, so he nodded his head, vocalizing his enjoyment.

 

"This _is_ pretty good," the Autobot muttered around the candy, verbalizing his opinion. "Thank you," he added, which served to proficiently appease his partner.

 

"Ja, you are velcome~," Blitzwing responded cheerily, proceeding to stuff several pieces into his own mouth now.

 

They sat mostly quiet for a while, the beige bot being too occupied with his treats to properly talk. However, Bumblebee found himself thinking about what he wanted to tell Blitzwing. He wondered if he told Random, how he would react. He preferred to tell Icy, because he knew he would not interject with any spur of the moment silliness, and that would help the process out tremendously. But on the same note, he didn't want to make the impulsive personality feel like he was any less important to Bee by asking to speak with his calmer counterpart.

 

He decided to chance it, and try talking with the current persona, once the Decepticon finished his candy.

 

"Thank you for zat~! It vas quite delicious~!" The triple changer voiced his appreciation for the sweets he was brought, grinning vastly.

 

"You're welcome~," the scout replied with a smile, patting the large bot's knee lightly. "Though, there's something pretty good that I want to talk with you about, Blitzy," He added, his smile growing.

 

His partner gave him an interested look, leaning down towards him slightly as if he was trying to focus.

 

"Oh~? Vat do you have to say, my cute little Bumblebee~?" He asked with eager curiosity, cocking his helm to the side slightly.

 

Bee cleared his intake, his faceplate flushing slightly at being called 'cute little Bumblebee'. He didn't know if he would _ever_ get used to that particular term of endearment, since anytime his height was brought up, it was usually to insult him. But he let the pet name slide, because coming from the Decepticon, it meant something different to him.

 

"Well, I might have figured out a way to get you out of here, _and_ get you totally pardoned," Bumblebee informed him with a grin.

 

"REALLY~?!!" The triple changer asked with happy disbelief, grabbing the small bot by his shoulders.

 

"Really~," the scout confirmed, beaming at the larger mech's reaction.

 

Maybe telling Random something this important wouldn't be so hard, after all.

 

...Or so he thought, until he was being crushed in his partner's embrace.

 

Bumblebee yelped as he was pulled with considerable force into a hug, large arms wrapped firmly around him. His faceplate was squished against the Decepticon's cockpit, and it was not a pleasant feeling.

 

Having a larger partner was great, because it was nice to be able to be held so completely. But when they forgot to mind their strength...

 

The pressure from such a massive hug was quite demanding on smaller frames.

 

He struggled to get his arms free enough to once again tap the beige mech, trying to get his attention as he muffledly spoke against dark glass.

 

"Okay, Random, not so tight," he managed to mumble out, though his words were being absorbed by the surface pressed to his faceplate.

 

He wasn't sure if he had been heard, or if his tapping had done it, but he successfully got the unpredictable personality's attention. Subsequently, the sturdy grip on the Autobot was reduced enough that he could move his helm, and he looked upwards at Blitzwing.

 

"Sorry~..." The bigger bot apologized again, looking a little disappointed in himself.

 

Bumblebee gave a hug in response, and opened his mouth to comfort the other, but he was interrupted as Random unexpectedly perked up again.

 

"Tell me all about vat you found out~!" He pressed the yellow mech for the information, shifting so that the minibot could sit comfortably in his lap.

 

At that moment, Bumblebee felt a twinge of apprehension. He was suddenly very aware that maybe he was taking things too fast... They only very recently became a couple. He did care immensely for Blitzwing. But his prior excitement about the situation was now melting into doubt. Bringing up something like this was serious, especially considering the other bot's past.

 

His past...?

 

Why did that matter?

 

It didn't matter how Blitzwing was before. He was Bee's partner, and he wanted to help him out of this pit-damned prison.

 

He was suddenly feeling _very_ ashamed of his concerns. This was his fragging _partner_ he was thinking about. The scout cursed his processor for being prone to doubt and shoved his thoughts away, pushing forward with a renewed sense of determination. He had to learn to be more trusting.

 

The smile returned to Bumblebee's faceplate, and he looked up to the triple changer.

 

"You'd basically have to defect and become an Autobot," the yellow mech said simply, deciding it best not to over-explain.

 

Random's cheerful demeanor slowly vanished, and he blinked down at the bot as if he didn't understand him.

 

"What~...?" He asked lowly, leaning down a bit as though he was trying to hear him better.

 

Bumblebee was now genuinely wondering if he might have made a bad decision. His spark felt like it sank, and he felt the beginnings of anxiety gnaw at his tanks. The grin on his face became more of a nervous smile, and he started drumming his thigh plating with his digits. He was hesitant to repeat himself.

 

"U-Uh... You'd... Have to defect and become an Autobot...?" He muttered, his statement sounding more like a question.

 

When Random's faceplate swapped to Hothead's abruptly, the Autobot jumped slightly, scrambling out of his partner's lap.

 

" **YOU MEAN I'D NEED TO SWITCH SIDES AND BECOME A PUNY AUTOBOT???"** The cantankerous personality barked, causing the yellow mech to shrink away.

 

This hadn't been the reaction he was expecting, at all. If Cybertronians could cry, he would certainly be doing it right now.

 

Bee nodded reluctantly, his anxiety heightening significantly. He felt frozen in his spot.

 

Instead of the triple changer blowing a gasket, like he was expecting, though, he seemed to be thinking about something. Or maybe having an internal conversation, with his other personalities. Bumblebee could only speculate what was going on in the other's processor as they sat there silently for a while.

 

It didn't help that he couldn't tell if the grumpy persona was even looking at him or not, thanks to his visor.

 

After a few cycles passed, and the scout decided he needed to do something, _anything_ to break the silence. Hothead not blowing up was great and all, but it made things worse for the yellow mech, due to his uncertainty about what was going on.

 

"Blitzwing...?" He croaked timidly, still feeling too paralyzed from his nervousness to otherwise move.

 

It became clear he had been heard when the Decepticon's helm snapped precisely in his direction. There was an uncharacteristically calm look on the beige mech's faceplate.

 

" **Vat?** " The taller bot asked gruffly, a minor hint of annoyance in his tone.

 

Bumblebee's intake suddenly felt very dry. Hesitantly, he opened his mouth to respond, but his vocal emitter glitched, and no sound came out. This caused his partner to quirk an optic ridge, giving him a questioning look. The Autobot hastily reset the component, trying to hurry and reply before he caused Blitzwing to grow angry again. He attempted to speak again, words actually coming out this time.

 

"A-Ah, I... Just... Was wondering why becoming an Autobot would be a problem, for you...?" He asked at the spur of the moment, though after he inquired about it, he realized that it was something he _did_ genuinely want to know.

 

His question riled the angry personality all over again,and he offered a loud, snappy response.

 

" **FROM VAT YOU'VE BEEN TELLING US, ZAT AFTPORT SENTINEL HAS BEEN MAKING ZINGS VORSE FOR ALL CYBERTRONIANS, INCLUDING ZE AUTOBOTS, SINCE HE VAS PUT IN CHARGE!!! VHY VOULD I JOIN A CAUSE I FOUGHT AGAINST FOR SO LONG, JUST TO BE OPPRESSED AND TREATED LIKE SLAG BY THAT FRAGGING IMBECILE??!** " The Decepticon bellowed, shaking his balled-up servo angrily.

 

Ah.

 

Bumblebee recalled Icy having told him before, upon the former asking about it, that the triple changer joined the Decepticons because Megatron promised a Cybertron free from the Autobot's oppressive laws. Bee himself had understood the laws to be really strict and closed-minded when looked at from a different angle, but he also knew that most of the laws served a purpose.

 

Except the ones Sentinel seemed to be making as Acting Magnus.

 

Ugh.

 

The yellow mech relaxed significantly, once he recognized that Blitzwing wasn't mad at him, but rather at the current state of the Autobot cause, in general.

 

Even the scout had to agree that Sentinel was, to use an Earth vulgarity, fucking everything up.

 

"I get it," he murmured pensively, looking at the floor of the cell as he thought about the situation.

 

It hit him like a steel building.

 

What if...

 

"Hey, what if someone else was Magnus?" The Autobot asked earnestly, looking back up at the other mech. "Someone who would get rid of the awful laws Sentinel's passed, and speak on behalf of all Cybertronians?"

 

This seemed to pique Hothead's interest. The tall mech looked away for a cycle, appearing as if he was having an intense internal debate. He finally looked back towards Bumblebee, a lopsided grin on his faceplate.

 

" **Ve'd be more open to zat,** " the Decepticon responded with his typical firm-sounding tone.

 

That was all Bumblebee needed to hear.

 

He jumped up from his spot on the floor, beaming massively. He ran over to the large mech, who seemed surprised at his sudden change. The yellow mech jumped up onto his partner's thighs, holding onto his shoulders to keep from falling.

 

" **VAT ARE YOU DOING???** " The triple changer asked incredulously, pulling his helm back to look the minibot over.

 

The scout grinned devilishly before kissing his partner on the lips deeply, bringing a servo up to the side of his helm. He didn't retreat until the other finally kissed him in return.

 

He could barely contain his excitement as he pulled away, hopping off of Blitzwing's lap.

 

"Sorry, Blitzy; I'd love to stay longer, but I've got to go see a bot about an election~!" He practically sang, heading towards the door of the cell quickly.

 

He glanced back over his shoulder with a slag-eating grin, flashing his denta.

 

" **HUH**??!" The Decepticon inquired loudly, looking more baffled than angry.

 

The Autobot turned around and bounded out of the forcefield, chuckling to himself.

 

"Love ya~!" He cheerily shouted as he dashed down the hall, a small part of him hoping his partner wouldn't be too mad with him, since he finally said the "L" word.

 

He started feeling a bit nervous when there was no response as he made his way to the door of the cell block, and he swiped his badge across the access panel.

 

" **I LOVE YOU, TOO!!!** " He heard from behind him surprisingly clearly as the cell block door opened.

 

This wasn't the way he imagined saying the word for the first time to someone would be like, but, it still felt amazing.

 

He zipped through the doorway before the metal panels slammed shut, smirking widely.

 

Bumblebee raced through the halls with single-minded determination, thinking about what he had to go and do.

 

Ever since Optimus' team returned from Earth with Megatron, many bots had been hoping Optimus would step up and run for the temporary Magnus position. Ultra Magnus was in medically induced stasis, and most likely would never recover from the extent of damage Shockwave did to him, so Bumblebee figured the Prime was what his fellow Cybertronians figured were their best hope, currently. Optimus mentioned to Bee that Alpha Trion had asked him if he would be willing to run on behalf of the people of Cybertron for the job. But he said he told the guild leader that he didn't think he could be a worthy Magnus, even if it was a temporary thing.

 

Now, the scout was going to do everything he could to persuade the red bot otherwise.

 

After all, just like the majority of Cybertronians, Optimus had aired his distaste for how Sentinel was currently trying to run their government.

 

As he made his way towards the prison's lobby, he turned a corner far too fast and ran smack into someone. The yellow mech fell on his aft with a grunt, and he rubbed his now sore faceplate, which had collided with a blue torso moments before.

 

"WATCH WHERE THE FRAG YOU'RE GOING!!!" An all-too familiar voice snapped, causing the minibot to groan in realization of who it was.

 

He looked up at the standing blue mech, and the scowling face of Sentinel glared down at him in confirmation of his suspicions. The small mech deadpanned.

 

"Sentinel," he stated flatly, standing up slowly and dusting himself off.

 

"That's _sir_ or _Sentinel Magnus_ to you," the large-chinned bot looked down at him with annoyance.

 

Bumblebee's temper began to flare, his core temperature rising as he glared up at the jerk. He was about to get rude with the pretentious aftport, but before he could even come up with a nice insult, he was cut off.

 

"What are you doing here, anyways?" Sentinel asked with suspicion, narrowing his optics and putting his servos on his hips.

 

This sudden question shut down any computing his processor was currently doing, and the minibot struggled to find an answer. He knew he couldn't tell him he was visiting Blitzwing, because that would cause a lot of trouble for both of them, most likely. He tried to think of something Sentinel would approve of, and short of sucking up to him, the best he could come up with was:

 

"Putting the fear of Autobots into Decepticon scum."

 

Sentinel raised his optic ridges, pursing his lips.

 

" _Sir,_ " Bumblebee added on quickly, though with great reluctance, just to placate the blue mech.

 

The bot snorted, laughing pointedly.

 

" _You_? _HA_! Yeah, right. The only thing someone as short as you can scare is—is... Some. Tiny thing," he futilely attempted to insult the scout.

 

Bumblebee couldn't even begin to feel remotely mad, with how lousy the taunt was. He rolled his optics, folding his arms in front of his chest.

 

"What a burn," he muttered caustically to himself.

 

Sentinel's amused expression darkened into anger, no doubt having picked up on Bumblebee's sarcastic remark.

 

" _HEY_! I am _ACTING MAGNUS_ , and you will _show me respect_ , pit-damn it!" The colossal-chinned bot snarled, jabbing a digit condescendingly down at the yellow mech.

 

Bee reflected to himself mentally that Sentinel was currently more like "Acting _Protoform_ ", but he offered a lazy solute and a "Yessir," in response regardless.

 

"Now, I don't know what you're _really_ doing here, but I just _know_ you're up to something," the blue bot grumbled, standing up straight.

 

"And I _will_ find out what it is," he growled with a warning tone, staring harshly down at the scout.

 

This caused the minibot's tanks to churn, but he did his best to remain calm, externally.

 

When Bumblebee didn't say anything in response, Sentinel took his leave, storming down the hall towards the inner prison.

 

"You can count on that," he added over his shoulder threateningly from a good ways down the corridor.

 

The yellow bot watched him as he disappeared around the corner, his spark racing. He was filled with a fear for his partner's safety, unlike any fear he'd experienced before. He was trembling, his optics dark, and pupils dilated.

 

He would have to be extremely diligent from now on, knowing that the blue mech would be sniffing around.

 

After that little event, he just knew.

 

He _had_ to convince Optimus to become Magnus, somehow.

 

Because someone like Sentinel didn't need to be leading _anyone_.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know if this chapter needs warnings...? Like, I feel like it might, but I can't figure out what. *^* Maybe it's just me? xD
> 
> This fic is going to be my main priority, from here on out, because I am thoroughly invested in finishing this story. Anything else is, like, going to be a side-project.
> 
>  
> 
> Anyways, I apologize for the length of this chapter, and I'm sorry again as well for the amount of time it took to get it done. ;v; 
> 
> Things are going to start getting a little rough, in the story. O3O Also, just a warning: I realize Bumblebee's perspective was used for this chapter, but to better aid the flow of the story, the next chapter may be written from his POV also. I'll do my best to try and write from Blitzwing's POV, but if it doesn't work out, I will have to write from Bee's. We'll see, though!
> 
> Btw, just as a warning, there may be some good 'ol smut happening PRETTY soon. ;3 But, don't expect anything wild... 
> 
> Or should you? ;D 
> 
> Who knows~.
> 
> If I made any errors, or if you see any inconsistencies, please let me know! ;v; I try to explain things the best way I can, without flat-out saying them all the time.
> 
> EDIT: I completely forgot to mention; I uploaded Tailgates Prime's design, as well as Flashlane's a while back to my DA. For some reason, I was thinking Id already posted those links, but I guess I didn't. O-O" I'll go and post those links in chapter 2's end notes, for those who wanted to see what they looked like, or just might be curious. XD They aren't super fancy, because they're just meant to be character designs, and because I'm still a novice at art. ;v; 
> 
> Anyways, thank you for reading, and please enjoy your day~! ^^
> 
> EDIT 2: After much debate, I've decided instead of just setting deadlines for myself to produce chapters, that I'm going to start posting updates on my progress for upcoming chapters in my profile, here. :3 This is because I don't want to keep anyone waiting past when I mentioned me uploading the next chapter, due to life suddenly getting hectic. ^^;; Also, because I don't want to keep anymore waiting without any idea of when I might be adding the next chapter. Also... Going forward, I just want to mention that I'm veryyyyyyy slow at typing. XD So please, try not to expect fast work on chapters. ;v;


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